American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2015 - 97

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Public Perceptions
In his discussion on updating company
public relations protocols, Rob Boulware,
manager of stakeholder relations for
Seneca Resources Corp., asserted the oil
and gas industry needed to update its
procedures to deal with new media requirements. He cited the example of a
California pipeline spill where the operator
failed to issue any press release or statement for 48 hours after the incident.
"The company got crushed. That whole
news cycle had everyone else telling the
story," Boulware said. "Granted, when it
recovered the company did a very good
job, but the point is if you are not telling
your story, somebody else is. Chances
are if it is not a friend, the story will not
be told the way you want. You have to
be proactive."
Oil and gas companies used to have
public relations personnel on staff who
would wait for news reporters to call. By
the time the media calls today, Boulware
argued, a story has gone through three or
more news cycles, and the PR office must
then respond to an article, not help shape
it. Compounding that problem is the trend
in which news sources place a higher
priority on being first than they do on being
accurate, so a confirmation phone call may
never come, he offered. Smart phones also
are changing the news landscape, Boulware
pointed out, with the devices giving every
person the opportunity to be a journalist.
Opponents of fossil fuels are winning
the public debate because most oil and
gas companies are adhering to Marquis
of Queensberry rules governing boxing
while anti-development forces are engaged
in street fights, he said.
He related an experience he had in a

Rob Boulware (left), manager of stakeholder relations for Seneca Resources
Corp., poses with Bradley
Gill, executive director of
the Independent Oil & Gas
Association of New York.
Boulware, the keynote
luncheon speaker during
the association's annual
meeting, offered recommendations on handling
public perceptions of oil
and gas activities.

Pennsylvania community, where on his
arrival opponents to a natural gas facility
gave him questions to ask at the public
meeting, a form letter to send to elected
officials, suggestions for a poster, and
tips on how to run a leaflet campaign.
"We do not have time to do those things,
but this is what they do. A lot of them
are out there with nothing better to do
but to oppose you," Boulware said.
The oil and gas industry has a great
story to tell, but Boulware expressed concern about how well its advocates were
telling that story.
"We have to have a broader message.
It cannot (only) be someone like me who
carries that water," he asserted. "We all
have to do this together. What I am doing
with Seneca's contractors is setting up legislative meetings with their state representatives. I get the appointment because I
know the process, but they come in and
tell their story. We all have to get out there
to tell our story."
Oil And Gas Markets
Market opportunities for natural gas
are expanding in almost every consuming
sector, reported Paul Hartman, regional
director of state affairs for America's
Natural Gas Alliance. Most forecasters see
increasing gas production in the coming
years, if the federal government minimizes

regulatory and policy intrusions and the
necessary infrastructure is in place, he said.
Discussing the need for pipelines and
associated facilities, Hartman pointed out
six or seven vital projects were under
consideration in New York. Those are
important not only for supplying natural
gas for residential use, but also for the
industrial consumers that state officials
are trying to attract and keep, he said.
"Every sector-transportation, power
generation, industrial, manufacturing-depends on our ability to get the natural
gas from Pennsylvania, Ohio and West
Virginia into the demand sectors, whether
they be in New York or New England,"
Hartman described. "We are going through
an unprecedented era of federal regulation
on the power generation sector, in terms
of emissions. It is the administration's
stated objective to reduce emissions from
the power generation sector."
When Americans discuss the role renewables will play in the nation's energy
portfolio, they often ignore the role natural
gas will play in supplying backup baseload power generation, Hartman continued.
"We can expand renewables as much as
humanly possible. At the end of the day,
we still need a reliable, affordable, clean
backup source. Natural gas is an efficient,
clean and resourceful fuel source for baseload power," he assessed.
❒

Fossil Fuels Likely To Remain
Top Energy Options For World
Paul Hartman, regional director of state
affairs for America's Natural Gas Alliance, tells the Independent Oil & Gas
Association of New York that it is vital
to improve transportation options to
natural gas from Pennsylvania, West
Virginia and Ohio into the demand sectors of New York and New England.

AMHERST, N.Y.-It is hypocrisy when
rich people denounce fossil fuels, because
they can afford alternate energy sources,
asserted Matt Vavro.
Examining future energy choices in
his presentation at the Independent Oil
& Gas Association of New York's annual
convention on Oct. 22, Vavro said, "Fossil

fuels provide cheap energy for poor
people. If we force alternate energy on
our country, the people who are going to
suffer are not Yoko Ono, it is the poor
people."
Since World War II, U.S. energy consumption has increased in line with population growth, reported Vavro, president
DECEMBER 2015 97

American Oil and Gas Reporter - December 2015

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