ConocoPhillips [3]'s Bob Ridge visited San Antonio, Texas recently, as stop number 32 of a 33-city "Conversation on Energy" tour. "It becomes obvious fast that Bob isn't in San Antonio to make any great promises," writes local reporter Greg Harman, who attended the event. "He tells our group straightaway that the next 30 years belong to oil, natural gas and coal. In the meantime, ConocoPhillips will be 'keeping a watch on global climate change [4] and our water resources.'" (Shell Oil [5] and Chevron [6] have held similar public events [7].) A flyer distributed at Ridge's presentation encourages San Antonians to become "more involved in the Conversation on Energy," by serving on a local "advisory committee," helping to "inform ConocoPhillips about energy issues and events in my community," participating in online discussions, or communicating with "local groups, organizations, officials, and media." Harman concludes, "Bob is not here to find out what we think about his company. What he wants is permission to function through us. Or, barring that, to delay or diffuse potentially damaging outbursts to our representatives in Congress."