SEO: ExxonMobil rep discusses benefits of natural gas Lecture transforms into heated debate Rhonda Pope faces

resilience from staunch environmentalists By Nora Strumpf

Exxon representative Rhonda Pope intended to inform a captive audience about the benefits of natural gas as part of her About Natural Gas and Hydraulic Fracturing lecture on Oct. 11, but spectators were not convinced. Pope introduced her role at Exxon as the Mid-Continent Crude Optimizer. She noted that natural gas heats more than half of the homes in the United States, and that it accounts for 25% of our energy. She provided projections for the next thirty years of gas use, and confidently stated that the supply of natural gas will exceed coal. The first skeptic touted the audiences intentions. Does Exxon Mobil consider the effects on the environment when it develops these models? asked Shane James, a member of Fossil Free UMd, who handed out antifracking flyers before the lectures start. Absolutely, Pope replied. One of Exxon Mobiles core values is to be environmentally responsible with our energy supply. Her response was the catalyst for the crucifixion that followed. Another student criticized that Exxon invests too much capital in gas when cleaner alternatives are available. (more) The demand is in gas, Pope said, as she seemed to calculate her response to dilute the tension in the room. These other alternative

energies [such as solar] have potential, but theyre not necessarily in a position where supply can meet demand for the next thirty years. Temperature rises The questions got more intense. Is Exxon assuming a carbon tax? How much consideration to biodiversity has Exxon considered? How much deliberation was done with indigenous people of the Chesapeake? Pope gave vague answers to each, providing ambiguous statements rather than qualitative facts. Noticing how much time had slipped away, Pope continued discussing the abundance of natural gas, job opportunities and versatility. She later explained hydraulic fracturing (fracking), the process of drilling into the earth to extract natural gas. The Student Government Association sustainability director, Ori Gutin, provided Pope the statistic that in 2010, 6.2 percent of new gas wells leaked, but she was unable to provide a retort. (more)
Rhonda Pope presents an infographic titled The global energy mix continues to evolve. Photo by Nora Strumpf

I know that this is a passionate subject, Pope concluded. I can absolutely relate to your concerns and want to be as helpful and give as much information as I can. As the last audience member walked out of the classroom, Pope turned to her colleague and said, well, I wasnt expecting that.

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SEO: Fossil Free UMd petitions ExxonMobil lecture Peaceful protest provides alternate views

By Nora Strumpf
After much anticipation, student environmentalists peacefully protested ExxonMobil on Friday, Oct. 11. Fossil Free UMd met an hour before the lecture About Natural Gas and Hydraulic Fracturing at the Food Cooperative to make signs, banners, and t-shirts in an attempt to prove their distaste of the gas giants practices. The club sent 250 Facebook event invitations that asked people to join the

I wanted to [] get more insight into why they so adamantly believe in natural gas as the energy source of the future. - Ori Gutin

demonstration. The invitation stated that, not only does fracking harm the planet by destroying water ways, poisoning wildlife, and emitting methane into our atmosphere, it also hurts public health and the economy! It also advised the audience to come

prepared with hard-hitting questions to make sure that the truth is told, and that a petition to end fracking in Maryland would be available following the lecture. Ori Gutin, Student Government Association sustainability director, spearheaded the protest. He said that he "wanted to ask someone from the industry [] and perhaps get more insight into why they so adamantly believe in natural gas as the energy source of the future. ###

SEO: ExxonMobil representative to discuss natural gas Rhonda Pope will examine benefits of energy source

ExxonMobil representative Rhonda Pope will discuss the benefits of natural gas as part of the Transforming Energy Lecture Series, sponsored by the University of Maryland Energy Research Center. Pope, the U.S. Black Oil Optimizer for ExxonMobil will discuss natural gas as a cleaner alternative to coal and oil. The lecture begins at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct.11, in Rm. 2110 in the Chemical and Nuclear Engineering building. For more information, contact Annette Mateus at (301) 405-4799 or at amateus@umd.edu.

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