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 […]
Belting It Out
A 16.6-mile-long covered conveyor belt system would bring sand for hydraulic fracturing from West Texas into Southeast New Mexico, according to a development plan written by OLC Kermit, LLC, a subsidiary of Atlas Sand Company, LLC. The plan was submitted in January to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Carlsbad Field Office as part of […]
What a Difference a Month Makes
Be proactive, or better still, don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. In April, I wrote about finding a new job. Now I find that my advice may be ridiculous because with the possibility of so many being unemployed, any new job may do. I write these articles two months in advance and, consequently, I […]
The Ones in the Middle
With the slowdown in drilling due to several issues, including quarantines related to the coronavirus, combined with frantic construction of pipelines over the last four years, pipeline shortages may soon be over. A trade agreement with China, which had promised to jumpstart petroleum exports to that country, has been dampened by that same virus due […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- …
- 97
- Next Page »