Working in the gas and petroleum industry was not
something Catherine Reheis-Boyd set out to do. She
loved the outdoors and wildlife and pursued environ-
mental studies at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. One of her
favorite professors worked in petroleum and talked
about how the two paths could connect for a career.
“That’s how my trajectory ended from a very, very
outdoor pathway into the oil world,” Reheis-Boyd says.
After earning a degree in natural resource manage-
ment, Reheis-Boyd landed a job at an environmental
consulting firm where she worked on oil and gas proj-
ects. Next was a position at Vandenberg Air Force Base to
study the effects of wind towers. Later, she worked with
Getty Oil in Bakersfield before joining Western States Pe-
troleum Association in Los Angeles. She helped move its
operations to Sacramento — to be closer to the Capitol
for lobbying — and became president in 2010.
Western Petroleum represents 12 petroleum compa-
nies, independent refiners and oil and natural gas pro-
ducers. She oversees the trade organization’s operations
and advocacy on regulatory and legislative issues in
California, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and Washington.
“We are the most regulated industry in the entire
world,” she says. “I think we have, I counted, 43 agen-
cies that regulate us from local, state and federal. We
have the strictest requirements anywhere.”
Reheis-Boyd is attempting to rebrand the pe-
troleum industry. She spoke on three panels at the
2019 United Nations Climate Change Conference in
Madrid. The topics involved accelerating methane
emission reductions at oil and gas facilities, carbon
pricing in the Americas, and a roundtable discussion
with climate change leaders. “We’re the first oil and
gas trade association that ever attended a climate
change summit,” she says. “Because of the West and
California’s leadership on this issue, we were there.
It’s fascinating to see where (energy is) going, whether
it’s solar, wind, biofuels or electricity.”
Reheis-Boyd appreciates working with young
professionals, who she says bring fresh ideas to the
industry. “I care about their development as a per-
son and as a career,” she says. “If people don’t want
to come to work, they’re not going to produce.” She
describes herself as an inclusive manager who lets
everyone have a seat at the table. Once a year she does
an off-site retreat for her staff, and she hosted the staff
holiday party at her house in 2019.
Reheis-Boyd, who has worked in the oil indus-
try 36 years, says she hopes she’s ultimately made a
difference. “Who have I touched, moved and inspired
today?” she says. “If the answer to that is (no one), that
was not a good day.”
ENERGY
Catherine
Reheis-Boyd
President
Western States Petroleum Association
by Judy Farah
March 2020 | comstocksmag.com
51