Onwards
Conclusion
A week ago, we concluded our Gulf Coast Energy Immersion Trip. Twelve days of packed schedules and intense experiential learning left us completely wiped out, ready for winter break. But after hearing from all types of different stakeholders from the Norco community directly impacted by Shell’s petrochemical plant, to senior executives at Exxon Mobil, to workers at Gulf Copper’s offshore rig docking site we are left with more questions than answers. Where does the future of energy lie? How do we manage our current energy needs while preparing for and trying to mitigate the devastation of our climate? How do we include everyone’s voices during such a pivotal moment in time?
Rewinding to the beginning of our trip, these ‘hows’ once started as simple ‘whats’: What does the energy landscape look like in the U.S., and specifically in the TX/LA Gulf Coast region? Who’s impacted? What are the current debates?
We first learned about the upstream part of the process: how oil and gas are naturally formed and stored, how to extract them conventionally and unconventionally, and how to convert them into usable energy. We learned about the GHG pollution these energies produce, and how much of this energy is lost due to inefficient technologies, transport, and storage. So much room for innovation!
We then learned about midstream and downstream energy, from both on-the-ground workers and senior executives. Whether giving us tours of facilities or sitting in corporate offices at Exxon Mobil’s campus and Calpine Energy Solutions, each individual had their own take on what the future of energy looks like, including larger shifts to biofuels or to electric vehicles.
We heard from renewable energy companies, manufacturers, and installers of wind farms at EDPR and Apex about the challenges the wind industry faces, including inconsistent production of wind power with little means to store it.
As we moved along from Houston to New Orleans, we learned about the devastating impacts on the Louisiana coast from Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, and the controversies behind proposed solutions such as sediment diversion. We talked to Senator JP Morell, and to community members directly impacted by oil/gas drilling and petrochemical plants. We were honored for Captain Wilson from Atchafalaya River Basinkeeper, Iris from the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, and Sandy from Coastal Communities Consulting to share their stories with us.
In addition, I am thankful for the stories we gleaned from people we did not schedule visits with, but whom we met along the way at gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and our lodging. It was important to hear their stories. Texas and Louisiana have rich, vibrant cultures and their residents have a strong sense of place.
It’s hard to do justice to the stories we heard or to summarize such a revolutionary experience, but during our final meeting, a common reflection of the group was our change of perspective and more holistic understanding of the energy industry. We are still left with questions. One that I have been grappling with is: How can wide-scale change reconcile between those wielding power and privilege at the top of the energy industry, those who rely on the industry for jobs, and those who suffer the impacts disproportionately?
The inconclusiveness of this trip may be best represented in my lingering memories of contrasts: contrast between the deep red-orange sunsets of Texas and the pollutants in the air that make those colors possible; between the elegant offices we visited in Houston and the intense poverty a few blocks away; between the cracked, muddy farmland and the looming white wind turbines of Corpus Christi. In Louisiana, it’s the contrast between the sunny beaches and the offshore rigs so far away you could miss them if you weren’t paying attention; between the fused Cypress forests of the Atchafalaya River basin and the dredged channels that cut through them; between the abandoned grassy lots of Norco and the plumes of petrochemical stench wafting over the houses that remain.
On one of our last days, Sandy from CCC asked us whether we would be able to apply what we have learned. We may not have the answers to the questions we pose, but no matter where we go we will be sure to take this experience with us.
Onwards,
Megan '19
A week ago, we concluded our Gulf Coast Energy Immersion Trip. Twelve days of packed schedules and intense experiential learning left us completely wiped out, ready for winter break. But after hearing from all types of different stakeholders from the Norco community directly impacted by Shell’s petrochemical plant, to senior executives at Exxon Mobil, to workers at Gulf Copper’s offshore rig docking site we are left with more questions than answers. Where does the future of energy lie? How do we manage our current energy needs while preparing for and trying to mitigate the devastation of our climate? How do we include everyone’s voices during such a pivotal moment in time?
Rewinding to the beginning of our trip, these ‘hows’ once started as simple ‘whats’: What does the energy landscape look like in the U.S., and specifically in the TX/LA Gulf Coast region? Who’s impacted? What are the current debates?
We first learned about the upstream part of the process: how oil and gas are naturally formed and stored, how to extract them conventionally and unconventionally, and how to convert them into usable energy. We learned about the GHG pollution these energies produce, and how much of this energy is lost due to inefficient technologies, transport, and storage. So much room for innovation!
We then learned about midstream and downstream energy, from both on-the-ground workers and senior executives. Whether giving us tours of facilities or sitting in corporate offices at Exxon Mobil’s campus and Calpine Energy Solutions, each individual had their own take on what the future of energy looks like, including larger shifts to biofuels or to electric vehicles.
We heard from renewable energy companies, manufacturers, and installers of wind farms at EDPR and Apex about the challenges the wind industry faces, including inconsistent production of wind power with little means to store it.
As we moved along from Houston to New Orleans, we learned about the devastating impacts on the Louisiana coast from Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill, and the controversies behind proposed solutions such as sediment diversion. We talked to Senator JP Morell, and to community members directly impacted by oil/gas drilling and petrochemical plants. We were honored for Captain Wilson from Atchafalaya River Basinkeeper, Iris from the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, and Sandy from Coastal Communities Consulting to share their stories with us.
In addition, I am thankful for the stories we gleaned from people we did not schedule visits with, but whom we met along the way at gas stations, restaurants, grocery stores, and our lodging. It was important to hear their stories. Texas and Louisiana have rich, vibrant cultures and their residents have a strong sense of place.
It’s hard to do justice to the stories we heard or to summarize such a revolutionary experience, but during our final meeting, a common reflection of the group was our change of perspective and more holistic understanding of the energy industry. We are still left with questions. One that I have been grappling with is: How can wide-scale change reconcile between those wielding power and privilege at the top of the energy industry, those who rely on the industry for jobs, and those who suffer the impacts disproportionately?
The inconclusiveness of this trip may be best represented in my lingering memories of contrasts: contrast between the deep red-orange sunsets of Texas and the pollutants in the air that make those colors possible; between the elegant offices we visited in Houston and the intense poverty a few blocks away; between the cracked, muddy farmland and the looming white wind turbines of Corpus Christi. In Louisiana, it’s the contrast between the sunny beaches and the offshore rigs so far away you could miss them if you weren’t paying attention; between the fused Cypress forests of the Atchafalaya River basin and the dredged channels that cut through them; between the abandoned grassy lots of Norco and the plumes of petrochemical stench wafting over the houses that remain.
On one of our last days, Sandy from CCC asked us whether we would be able to apply what we have learned. We may not have the answers to the questions we pose, but no matter where we go we will be sure to take this experience with us.
Onwards,
Megan '19
Comments
Post a Comment