The Green Real Deal

Bill Herrington was heading to his downtown Houston office in 2016 when he came upon a disturbing demonstration against the Dakota Access Pipeline. It was personal for Herrington. Forty years earlier, he was introduced on a summer pipeline job to an American-made industry and the hardy men who built it. He saw the pipeline construction business from the inside out, and it left an indelible respect for the work ethic of pipeliners and for the necessity of the industry. From that humble start, Herrington graduated from Louisiana State University and began a 35-year career in corporate banking, which included a focus on the energy service industry in south Louisiana and Texas. He went on to complete the Harvard Business School general manager program and become a private equity and private credit investor based in Houston, Texas. He is also the author of the award-winning memoir, Contraflow. But Herrington never forgot his work as a common laborer on a pipeline forty years earlier. He appreciated the pipeline industry as a solid backbone of the United States, ensuring the necessary energy for our modern way of life, providing national security, supporting our strong economy, and providing stable careers for countless Americans and their families. So he was confused by the depiction of the industry as evil. The protestors said pipelines were harmful to the environment, were bad for Americans, and should be eliminated from the United States. The protest led Herrington to objectively reexamine his understanding of the industry and America. Based on personal experiences, national historical accounts, research, and investigations, The Green Real Deal tells the critical role of oil and gas pipelines in WWII, objectively examines energy options today, and proposes a balanced path moving forward. Connect with Bill Herrington on his website or join his conversation on Twitter.