The Texas Railroad Commission recently adopted what it calls one of the nation’s most comprehensive chemical disclosure rules for hydraulic fracturing fluids. The rule will require Texas oil and gas operators to disclose on a website chemical ingredients and water volumes used to hydraulically fracture wells in Texas. The rule applies to wells that receive […]
“A Special Place” – PBPA Top Hand Banquet
In accepting the PBPA Top Hand award on Jan. 19, Tim Leach turned the event into a celebration of his own “top hands” and a tribute to Midland, the Permian Basin, and the people who make their shared world special. It was a “roast” of sorts, as master of ceremonies Steve Beal led the string […]
Workovers
Bits and Bites A late winter (early spring?) roundup of tidbits and talking points. With Valentine’s Day upon us, can spring be far behind? And if spring is not far behind, then while you’re pondering that Valentine’s Day gift for her, you could be contemplating a place for dinner—and we’ve served up the first in […]
SpOILed: The Movie ~ Is America SpOILed?
A new feature-length film documentary on the oil industry answers oil’s critics but goes far beyond to supply a much-needed reality check, not just for America but for the world. The early buzz—at least within the Permian Basin—for the just-released feature length film documentary SpOILed is enthusiastic. Filmmaker Mark Mathis will be in Midland Feb. […]
Making An Impact: Dick Sivalls is a giver, a doer, and most of all a leader.
Dick Sivalls’ roots in the oil and gas business run more than a century deep. “My grandfather started a company similar to ours in 1900 in Ohio and then moved to Bartlesville and Oklahoma City, following the oil patch,” he said. “He sold the business, but then my father started the business in 1947 in […]
Needed Reforms
By Doug Robison, Chairman, PBPA. As the Permian fuels far more than its own ends, creating jobs and supplying national energy needs, its own need arises—for relief from federal regulatory overreaching. To make a poor application of Charles Dickens’ immortal line, “It is the best of times, it is the worst of times” in the […]
Workovers
Structurally Speaking… … and just speaking free-form as well. A miscellany of observations that doesn’t stand on ceremony. While presidential politics charge into an election year (and you thought it had been election season for the past year or two!), while regulators and energy producers wrangle over regs, while the world goes spinning on with […]
From the General Counsel
by Angela Staples, General Counsel, Permian Basin Petroleum Association. Texas Supreme Court Update: When does trespass occur below ground? And how actionable would such trespass be? These are questions that still have no clear answers. In the March Issue of PBOG, I discussed a case upon which the Texas Supreme Court would be hearing oral […]
From the President
By Ben Shepperd, President, Permian Basin Petroleum Association. Happy New Year from the PBPA! With gratitude to many, PBPA enters 2012 with a hoped-for and much-needed six-month extension of time to make its case in the Dunes Sagebrush Lizard issue. As I am sure you are already aware, on Thursday, Dec. 1, the U.S. Fish […]
Playing It Safe
By Al Pickett, special contributor. Blowout prevention, already a science, is an art as well, especially in new shale plays such as the Permian Basin. For drilling operations, finding good well service people is the key. Safety has always been a top priority in the oil patch, according to Larry Chapman, but even so, as […]
