With all the great speakers and presentations at the USAEE /IAEE North American Conference in Anchorage this week, it’s hard to pick and choose among so many well-expressed ideas. Our USAEE updates represent just a few of our favorite quotes from the ongoing events.  

An oil and gas producer may have deep pockets, top-notch technical and research and development capabilities, an excellent safety record, and an established reputation as a responsible operator. But failing to effectively engage with the communities in areas where it operates can sink even the best project, according to Roland George, a board member of Canadian energy regulator the National Energy Board.

“The companies – excellent companies – but the companies that strictly focus on technological excellence and project economics, I can guarantee you, they are the first in line to get themselves into trouble with any of their developments. That’s where some of these projects have tripped up in Canada, when that part of the job hasn’t been done,” George said.

“It takes years to gain that trust, for people to get used to you, for people to believe your story. That’s not just specific to the north.”