Well, in a much under-promoted and quiet way, I have arrived in Houston, TX. Frankly, I was expecting a band or something more grandiose, but, perhaps, that awaits me at the hotel.
So, what the heck am I doing in Texas?
Apparently my postings on offshore drilling and the necessity for it to happen in Virginia attracted the interest of the American Petroleum Institute [1] who has flown me to the Lone Star State and is putting me up for a few nights so that I can attend the “Offshore Technology Conference” [2].
Over the course of the next several days, I will be attending seminars on energy challenges, climate change, arctic energy challenges, hear the case for drilling in the OCS, have a roundtable with API president Jack Gerard, and visit several facilities, including Haliburton’s (yea, those guys) Real-Time Decision Center and Visualization Center and Cameron’s Subsea Technology Center.
I’ll also tour the conference and check out some of the products and new concepts in development.
Why am I here?
Well, I hope to learn more about the safety of this process, what kinds of jobs could actually be generated in Virginia, what we can expect if we go forward with off-shore drilling, what it’s potential impact might be, and much, much more.
If you have any questions for me while I am here or something you want me to research, leave a question and I’ll do my best.
Oh…I also get to hear from Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) tomorrow…that’ll be cool too.