Posted on 06/08/2020 1:53:03 PM PDT by Kaslin
From my quarantine hidey-hole in Girdwood, Alaska, it was the oddest of Zoom calls. The oil industry and the fishing industry are not always chummy, but here we were on the same video link. Crews in close quarters – be they fishing boats or oil tankers or drilling platforms offshore – needed appropriate safety measures in this pandemic. Onshore, in remote coastal communities, fish processing plants and oil production facilities both bring in itinerant workers, so both industries sought to avoid enabling contagious “vectors” of coronavirus for others.
The call looked like Hollywood Squares, but no one was cracking jokes.
That morning session focused on testing techniques. Hosted by the University of Washington Medical School, it included maritime industry leaders from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Texas and Louisiana. Some of the fish folks had common medical advisers with the oil folk. It was proof for me, having spent intense parts of my career mediating between these two industries, that American industry often rises to the occasion to meet a common challenge.
The energy industry has stepped up in numerous ways throughout this pandemic. Efforts range from helping Americans who face financial uncertainty during this challenging time to bolstering the efforts of our critical healthcare workers. This kind of spirit from American enterprise makes our country great.
For starters, widespread sacrifices have been made by employees to keep energy and power flowing to American homes and businesses. This is essential to maintaining whatever normalcy we have; from letting us work from home, to keeping hospitals and food distribution running.
From my quarantine hidey-hole in Girdwood, Alaska, it was the oddest of Zoom calls. The oil industry and the fishing industry are not always chummy, but here we were on the same video link. Crews in close quarters – be they fishing boats or oil tankers or drilling platforms offshore – needed appropriate safety measures in this pandemic. Onshore, in remote coastal communities, fish processing plants and oil production facilities both bring in itinerant workers, so both industries sought to avoid enabling contagious “vectors” of coronavirus for others.
The call looked like Hollywood Squares, but no one was cracking jokes.
That morning session focused on testing techniques. Hosted by the University of Washington Medical School, it included maritime industry leaders from Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, Texas and Louisiana. Some of the fish folks had common medical advisers with the oil folk. It was proof for me, having spent intense parts of my career mediating between these two industries, that American industry often rises to the occasion to meet a common challenge.
The energy industry has stepped up in numerous ways throughout this pandemic. Efforts range from helping Americans who face financial uncertainty during this challenging time to bolstering the efforts of our critical healthcare workers. This kind of spirit from American enterprise makes our country great.
For starters, widespread sacrifices have been made by employees to keep energy and power flowing to American homes and businesses. This is essential to maintaining whatever normalcy we have; from letting us work from home, to keeping hospitals and food distribution running.
Others in the oil patch expanded production of protective equipment. Exxon, which had invented isoproyl alcohol (IPA) in 1920, when it was called Standard Oil, ramped up IPA production in Baton Rouge to help sanitizer producers meet growing demand. (Some of that has made it north to our parts.) The firm also increased its capability to manufacture specialized polypropylene, used in medical masks and gowns, by about 1,000 tons per month, “enough to enable production of up to 200 million medical masks or 20 million gowns,” the company announced.
My favorite t-shirt and meme this pandemic year is a big dumpster fire, with 2020 painted on the side. But around this dumpster fire it is nice to know we can sing Kumbaya, even if we can’t hold hands.
A hand-painted “we’re all in this together” sign posted on the bike trail near my cabin reminds us that it will take sacrifices from all parts of American life to keep this pernicious virus from killing more people. While the energy industry is merely one small part of this larger effort, they are setting an example for the kinds of partnerships that will be key to defeating COVID-19.
The Great Democrat Riots of 2020 cured the Scam-demic.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.