Interviewer: Laura Ek

Affiliation: University of Arizona

Referred to the Goodells by Gary Hernandez, I met with them at their home in Lafayette one evening for an interview with them both. Both originally from New Orleans, they chose to move from New Orleans to Lafayette in 1996 for Kim’s job. They met each other working for Amoco oil in New Orleans and got married. Kim is currently retired (since 2005) from her 23 year position in securing offshore drilling leases for deepwater contracts. Bill currently works in environmental law dealing strictly with cases involving the oil industry. This past Fall semester of 2010 he taught a course at Tulane law school on the Bp oil spill of April 20, 2010 and the litigation surrounding the event.

Bill, a native of New Orleans, was born in 1952. He went to college in Mobile Alabama for English, graduating in 1973 or 1974. He worked odd jobs, going back to school to study law in 1977. He graduated in 1980. Bill began working for Amoco in 1981 until about 1986 or 1987. Amoco supported his second degree, so he went on to LSU in environmental law. After leaving Amoco, he went on to Tulane in New Orleans to pursue his Master’s in environmental law. He began practicing law by working for the attorney general’s office in Baton Rouge on cases in conservation and representing landowners.

Kim graduated from the University of Southern Louisiana with a degree in business and a concentration in petroleum land management. She continued graduate studies at USL. After graduation she moved back to New Orleans to work for Amoco in 1983. At Amoco she got her start in dealing with offshore leases by working with companies such as Exxon, Mobil, and Shell, among others. Around 1991/1992, Amoco consolidated with BP. She moved to Lafayette to work for a smaller independent company in 1996 (Flories and Rucks.)

Together Kim and Bill discuss their personal work histories, their reasons for moving to Lafayette, experiences in the oil industry, coastal erosion, the politics of the environmental movement, and how they manage two seemingly opposing careers. Bill talks about cases he has had over the years, and Kim describes the process of securing deepwater leases and how it changed, including the “excitement of prospects.”