Any conversation with a corporate IT or cybersecurity person very quickly includes the phrase “It’s not if, but when and how bad” when the topic is the likelihood of being hacked. Employing good security measures in hardware, software, and the most important factor—people—does provide great protection. But, like Luke Skywalker slipping a bomb into a […]
No Time to Back off Safety
As companies start recovering from the coronavirus debacle and the major downturn due to oil prices, the time has come to focus on rebuilding a sustainable business, especially in the field of safety. Some companies just continue to rebuild following the same philosophies and principles that have been carried on for years. It is a […]
Natural Gas: What’s Next?
Can natural gas prices rise even in a generational downturn like the COVID-19 situation? Analysts including the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) feel that prices were already so low that they had nowhere to go but up anyway. In the Permian Basin in particular, gas prices were artificially low due to takeaway constraints. Such constraints […]
This is NOT the 1980s
Oil production costs are down sharply in Texas in recent years, but they are not yet at a level to maintain viability given current prices and uncertainty. As a result, significant disruptions in oil production areas are occurring. The industry initiated a rapid shutdown of drilling activity, which rippled through an enormous supply chain and […]
Rollin’
Bumper stickers touting “If you have it, a truck brought it” have never been more on point than during a worldwide lockdown. This is always true in the oilfield, where tons of pipe and machinery share lanes with millions of barrels of water, drilling mud, and other supplies every hour of every day. As drilling […]
Challenging Times
Greetings to all! In light of recent events—the Coronavirus, oil prices tanking, etc.—this month’s installment may not delve into the intricacies of typical safety topics. Since most of the workforce has been laid off in the last month or two, there is probably not a huge interest in hearing a discussion of the theories of […]
Making the Case for O&G
During the debates, it seems Democratic candidates had a field day using oil and gas as a punching bag. Presumable nominee Joe Biden promised to end drilling and hydraulic fracturing at least on federal lands. Former candidate Bernie Sanders threatened to prosecute oil and gas executives for crimes against humanity due to their presumed role […]
Know Thyself
What will history say about you? I pose the question because we may be living through the worst times in our history. We are thrown into the mayhem of 2008, 911, the 1980s, Pearl Harbor, and the Spanish Flu all at once. What has been your reaction to the crisis of 2020? How have you […]
Permian Perseverance
In 2006, when I first began serving as the president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, many people around the state and nation talked about the Permian Basin like its best days were behind it. Some took joy in writing these obituaries, and some have begun to do so once again. Then, just like now, […]
H2S: Subtle But Deadly
Greetings and salutations my fellow safety enthusiasts. Another day and another dollar, if the oil price goes back up, lol. We’ve been through downturns before, and in all likelihood we will go through it again. I think this is the 7th downturn that I’ve experienced in my short 49 years in the Patch—give or take […]
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