Gary Luquette became president of Chevron North America Exploration and Production Co. in April 2006. He chaired the governing board that oversaw four joint-industry task forces formed after the BP Macondo well incident in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
Gary Luquette
President
Chevron North America Exploration and Production Co.
What was the biggest challenge you faced in the aftermath of the BP Macondo well incident?
While this incident was the responsibility of a single operator, the entire industry felt the impact. We needed an immediate and unified industry response to learn from this tragedy and make sure it would never be repeated. That's why the industry called together hundreds of experts to form four joint-industry task forces to identify tangible improvements that could be made in blowout prevention, well intervention and oil spill response. I was asked to chair the governing board that oversaw their work, and I assumed this role because I felt strongly that the industry needed to take quick and decisive action in order to earn the right to return to drilling in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
Why is it important that we return to work now in the Gulf of Mexico?
Oil and natural gas will be primary energy sources for decades to come. Production in the outer continental shelf—almost all of which is in the Gulf of Mexico—accounts for 27 percent of U.S. oil and 15 percent of U.S. natural gas supplies. Chevron alone has more than 13,000 employees living and working in Gulf States. We provide jobs, economic growth and government revenue.
When will the results of these task forces become a reality?
We have made significant progress. In addition to submitting numerous reports on lessons learned to the U.S. Department of the Interior, we made recommendations in such key areas as well design, cementing and safety. Many of these recommendations evolved into regulations that are helping companies operate at a higher standard.
And even after we submit our final reports from the task forces, the industry will continue to work together to improve operations and incident response. We committed to a number of initiatives that will show sustained improvements through technology, research and development, and training. We are safer today than we ever have been, and we will continue to improve in the years ahead.
Updated: May 2011