In some ways minerals and land people have less availability of AI and massive databases than their coworkers in geology and engineering. That’s because engineers and geologists lean on extensive internal and external monitoring systems to gather their data, which can then be examined and used by AI for automation and for human input. For […]
Gone Global
On one hand there are domestic companies looking to markets around the world. On the other, international companies are establishing Texas roots. In both cases the Permian Basin is home to increasing service connections of an international persuasion. One compression company in New Mexico and one of their suppliers, a Wisconsin compressor manufacturer, are reaching […]
My, How Time Flies
A few months back, I alluded to the fact of how long I’ve been writing the safety column for PBOG magazine. I thought I started writing the column 2020, yet it turns out to be since July of 2019. I have realized that it is a difficult task to stay fresh, even for someone like […]
Rising Tide
It should surprise no one that this year’s UTPB Energy in Water Conference was the most well attended yet. Brian Ward of APATEQ observes, “There is no comparison to the expert discussions, the tremendous networking opportunities, and the hospitality is second-to-none.” Indeed. Robust panels of deeply committed and insightful professionals discussed the entire oil and […]
Where is the Money Going?
With the huge uptick in O&G commodities prices since early February, who has benefited most The winners are emerging, certainly, but they are not evenly distributed across the oil patch. The sudden rise in oil and natural gas prices since early February has created a familiar but uneven phenomenon in the energy business: a […]
It’s the Little Things That One Remembers
I’m reminiscing here, but, truth be told, this piece is a plug for the FFA. You live in Texas and New Mexico. In God’s Country. Get your kids into the FFA and watch them grow. Now for my own version of this, for what it’s worth. Starting out, we weren’t much more than a bunch […]
Unwilling? Unable? Or Untrained?
This month, we are going to take a different approach. As Henry David Thoreau said in 1854, sometimes it is necessary to simplify, simplify, simplify. It can be our outlet to reduce life’s unnecessary details, material possessions, and complexities to focus on essential meaningful living. Throughout my career, I have been trained in numerous […]
Fuel for the Road to Success
The Beatles sang about a “Long and Winding Road” leading to their fame and fortune, and what is now the world’s top-producing oil basin—the Permian—has a similar tale. In this story experts from research firms S&P Global and Wood Mackenzie help unpack the deep and wide layers of the Permian’s national and global significance. […]
OFS in Flux
“You can’t tell the players without a scorecard,” was the ancient baseball vendor’s cry. Today’s Permian Basin scorecards can only be tracked digitally, which is good, because they’re always in flux. In this story longtime oilfield stalwart Eric Danos, owner of Danos, takes us through the ins and outs of the decision-making process of acquisitions, […]
The Impact of War on the Workforce
Let’s look back to WWII…. By 1944, unemployment was less than 2 percent, and this was the first time women were encouraged to work outside the home. Also, when labor demand is high, wages will rise. Those left behind, much less those on the front line, experienced high levels of anxiety, whether we named it […]