In February, I asked a couple of questions about ethics. Later that month, President Trump fired the head of the Office of Ethics. No comment. Now, I am moving on to the ugly term: trimming the fat. Who and what will it hurt, and who and what will it help? When it is all said […]
The Produced Water Challenge
You are probably aware that the water problem in the Permian Basin is dire—it is the desert, after all. But the issue isn’t so seemingly obvious. Of course, as a natural resource, water is scarce in the Permian, and that is an issue that in itself places constraints on growth and development. But that is […]
Movers and Shakers
Hirings, promotions, and other personnel matters in the nation’s biggest oil patch—or in companies who do business here. Midland-based Diamondback Energy announced on Feb. 20 that Travis D. Stice, who has led Diamondback as Chief Executive Officer since January 2012, will step down as CEO effective as of the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. At […]
Improving Plugging and Abandonment Procedures
Daily news feeds and internet searches abound with abundant negative images about the oil and gas industry. These images feed the negative messaging that anti-fossil fuel groups are eager to magnify. In response, regulators add regulations—often without industry input. If the industry is going to rehabilitate its image, it must demonstrate its desire to be […]
Texas Tech, Natura Partner over Reactor Technology
Texas Tech University has announced it is partnering with Natura Resources and Abilene Christian University (ACU) to deploy Natura’s molten salt reactor (MSR) currently under construction at ACU. The collaboration aims to integrate MSR technology with water desalination and energy production systems, addressing Texas’ critical energy and water needs. Those close to the project say […]
Made In The Permian Basin
When you’re at the duty-free shop at Tokyo International Airport and you see a bottle of Jack Daniels you know one thing: the only place in the whole world it comes from is Lynchburg, Tennessee. This is the kind of pride one can take when surveying the fact that more of the Permian’s needed infrastructure […]
Change Happens: DEI and More
Will changing regulations reduce inflation and costs overall? Will it end some of the current entitlement of our workforce after COVID? I only minored in Economics, but it just makes sense that decreasing regulations will decrease costs and thus reduce the rate of inflation. Only time will tell but let’s review some current and upcoming […]
The Unintended Consequences of Over-Zealous Regulations
Let’s face it, there aren’t many jobs in Cut Bank, Montana. And of those that do exist, the top-paying ones are jobs in the energy industry, like oil and gas operators and energy service companies. Some of those oilfield jobs involve companies such as Montalban Oil & Gas Company (MOGO), owned by Patrick Montalban. MOGO […]
Permian Oil: The Next Four Years
Fourteen years ago, in 2011, I wrote an article for MarketWatch that described how frac’ing for oil and gas would “change everything” for American energy. Among my assertions was the prediction that the United States would be an energy exporter by 2019. The negative comments on the piece were overwhelming. I was told that I was stupid and naive […]
Hiring and Retention: Everyone’s Challenge
While hiring and talent acquisition and retention have long been issues across all sectors of the American economy, perhaps nowhere do those issues pose such unique challenges as are found in the Permian Basin. And yet these are challenges that have been answered with innovation and energy. Considerable effort has been made over the years […]
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