ARKANSAS
BY
Richard Mason
Rex Tillerson CEO of Exxon-Mobil will
make a great Secretary of State
What? Can a person who is working to stop the Buffalo
National River from being polluted by a Factory Hog Farm say that?
You bet, I can, and here's why: Rex Tillerson is considered
one of the top, worldwide business leaders, and in making those business relationships,
he has made personal contacts with the leadership of almost every significant
country in the world.
In those contacts, he represented Exxon-Mobil shareholders,
and his representation has been hugely successful in increasing the net value
of those shareholders investments. Naturally, if you are a CEO of a worldwide
exploration company, you must have good relations with countries, such as
Russia, who have huge oil reserves. It’s a requirement to do business. The idea
that a company must represent the political goals of the United States is
unrealistic, would cripple our international business relationships, and do a
great disservice to their shareholders. International companies all over the world do
business with countries who don’t represent their political preferences. Boeing
just agree to sell Iran 16.6 billion dollars’ worth of planes, as a recent
example.
However, while his business connections are a very positive
attribute to Mr. Tillerson, it’s not the primary reason I believe he’ll be a
great Secretary of State. Mr. Tillerson is the CEO of Exxon-Mobil, a company
that I believe demands high ethical and environmental standards. I'm convinced
his career at Exxon-Mobil, domestically and with Esso overseas, instilled in
him the ethical way to conduct business. This is my take on Exxon-Mobil’s
ethics: I went to work for Exxon, right out of college, as a geologist, and I was
assigned to the Southwest Texas District, which included the King Ranch. I spent
the next two years primarily evaluating the numerous wells Exxon drilled on the
Ranch. Of course, you would expect drilling and producing wells on the famous
King Ranch would be handled with kid gloves, and you’d be right. Every
producing well and drilling rig on the ranch maintained the top environmental
and industry standards. In the 1930s the ranch of one million acres was leased
by Humble Oil and Refining Company, which was merged into Exxon in the 1960s.
Over the past 75 years Exxon has drilled hundreds of wells, produced millions
of barrels of oil without any significant, even minor damage to the ranch.
The King Ranch is famous for developing the Santa Gertrudis
breed of cattle, and a number of years back Bob Kleberg, who then, was the head
of the King Ranch Corporation, was asked, by a cattleman: “Your Santa Gertrudis seem to thrive on the Ranch. What do you make of
that?"
Bob Kleberg is reported to have grinned and answered, "I think they do best in the shade of
all those oil and gas christmas trees." A testament to Exxon's care
for the land.
Yes, I know you're thinking, but that’s the famous King Ranch. Of course, you're right, and you
might say, "Well, what about their
foreign operations? Say, if they were drilling in the middle of the Sahara
Desert, would they do it differently?"
Well, let me tell you, from a firsthand experience, how
Esso operates overseas. After working on the King Ranch for a couple of years,
I took a transfer to Benghazi, Libya, where I spent two years as a geologist
evaluating wells drilled in the Libyan Sahara Desert. I watched those wells
from (spud) start to finish, and I’m sure the Libyan Government would have
ignored spills, trash, and pumping waste water and drilling mud out on the
ground. However, Exxon-Mobil-Esso employees have only one way to operate, and that’s
the same whether it's on the King Ranch or in the middle of the Libyan Sahara
Desert. When we left a Libyan Desert location, it was as clean a one on the
King Ranch. Rex Tillerson has those operational ethics ingrained in him by
working for one of the great American companies. He will represent our country
admirably, and by having one of the top business leaders in the world
representing us, America will be well served.
Now, don't think for a minute, I’m giving my endorsement as
a blank check to the Trump administrant. There are a couple of his cabinet
selections I’m aghast at. I'm just saying he hit a home run with Exxon-Mobil’s Rex
Tillerson.
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