Normally, when you think of an oilman who has become the chief executive of his state, you think of Texas Gov. George W. Bush, who was an independent operator in Midland, Tex., for several years.
And, of course, his father was a drilling contractor in Midland before he ascended to the US presidency.
Oil backgrounds
But there are other governors who have oily backgrounds. Three surfaced at the annual meeting of the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission (IOGCC) in New Orleans recently. They are: Louisiana Gov. Mike Foster, Oklahoma Gov. Frank Keating, and Alaska Gov. Tony Knowles.
Gov. Foster is a former roustabout for the old Humble Oil & Refining Co. (now ExxonMobil Corp.) and is currently a royalty owner.
Oklahoma's Keating is a second-generation oilman. His father, Anthony Keating, was a drilling contractor who operated out of Tulsa for several years. Keating set up a small minerals company that he operated until former Sec. of State James Baker coaxed him into working in the Reagan administration. The governor said oil prices dropped from $30/bbl to $10/bbl shortly after he joined the federal government. "That's when I told my wife she needed to get a job," he said.
And Gov. Knowles of Alaska is also a second-generation oilman. In fact, both his father and mother were active in the business. His father was a landman, and his mother, Ruth Sheldon Knowles, wrote a book about oil wildcatters entitled "The Greatest Gamblers." Gov. Knowles grew up in Tulsa, as did Gov. Keating. The governor worked as a rig hand for several contractors, onshore and offshore. His last oil field job was on a Loffland Bros. rig on Alaska's North Slope.
Still in the business
The interesting thing about these governors is that they talk as if they were still in the business. Gov. Foster decried the growing rate of oil imports into the US and argued against free-trade laws that tilted the regulations in favor of foreign competitors. Keating has long supported oil policies that protect the domestic industry.
Gov. Knowles, the incoming chairman of IOGCC, had the most to say about some of the problems US producers are having in today's political and environmental climate. Knowles said he is going to work on improving the relationship between the states and US regulators so that responsibilities claimed by federal officials don't override authority that should rest in the hands of state officials. He cited some examples in Alaska where US Environmental Protection Agency regulations are threatening mining and other activities.
In one case, he declared the EPA "has gone overboard" on water quality. In another, zinc mining is threatened by unrealistic air standards. Gov. Knowles also is working on better access to public lands on the North Slope so that some high-potential acreage in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge can be explored.