Today: Mar 28, 2024

Ryan Pastor seeks to sustain healthier earth

Ben Paquette Contributor

Ryan Pastor, a senior, said he hopes to use his degree in Earth Science and Geology to one day help oil companies find untapped oil trap reserves beneath the earth’s surface. Yet he realizes that The Green New Deal and the United States’ push towards clean energy initiatives and renewable energy sources may pose a threat to his desired career field.

“The trend towards clean energy is a great thing and will be super beneficial for humankind, but what people do not realize is that oil; is used for much more than just the automotive industry,” Pastor said.

“I am a firm believer that petroleum will never be canceled out.”

Pastor remains optimistic, however, that pushes for legislation such as “The Green New Deal,” which would eliminate fossil fuel use across the United States over a still undetermined period, would not put him out of work in the future.

“I don’t think the field will become obsolete during our lifetimes. I think as we focus on clean energy the production of petroleum products will be focused elsewhere but will not go away in our time here on earth,” Pastor said.

While he agrees there will be a shift towards a complete reliance on clean energy initiatives in the future, he does not believe it will happen for another 50 years or more.

Pastor attended Ohio State University, where he planned on becoming an orthopedic surgeon. After realizing the extreme workload, he changed his focus to environmental law, but decided to take a gap year after one semester.

Hoping to find a new start, Pastor moved to Connecticut two years ago to pursue his growing passion in the Earth Sciences. He’d developed a love for the environment throughout his gap year.

As he continued to explore the different Earth Sciences, he found an interest in the field of geology.

“The more I began to focus on geology and look into the careers that are possible in the field, the more I knew I wanted to become a geologist and work outside in nature.” Pastor said.

Pastor’s passion for nature, as well as the betterment of our environment, led him to choose a career path in the oil industry. An industry that in the more recent years, has become environmentally safer due to advances in the oil extraction methods.

Even if the country were to completely shift its energy reliance, Pastor said the production of oil for foreign consumption would not cease.

“There is going to be the need for oil in many other countries around the world, so I think as long as we have it here in America there is always going to be a demand. Private drilling companies can sell to outside parties and not focus on U.S. demand,” said Pastor.

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