The oil and gas industry is similar to the National Football League these days. While the primary focus of each is being productive—whether it is drilling successful wells or scoring touchdowns—much of the emphasis seems to be on safety. The oil patch is still a dangerous place to work. According to statistics from this region, […]
From the World to the Permian: Part 2 in a Series
In oil and gas fields around the world, there are products in use that wereconceived and constructed in the Permian Basin. And technologies in use that were perfected here as well. The caller said he was from Israel and needed replacement parts for seals manufactured by Westech Seal, Inc. “How did our parts get over […]
From the Permian Basin to the World
Charlie McCoy couldn’t believe his eyes. Gas was flowing from a well into the sand and lying on the ground in the middle of it were dead quail. The Gulf employee accompanying McCoy said the well had a problem producing, that gas locked the downhole pump. “I watched that pumping unit run and thought, ‘How […]
All About Water
Last fall, Texas Railroad Commissioner and former Midland resident David Porter appointed an Eagle Ford Task Force to discuss water quantity and usage as it relates to oil and gas production in the burgeoning Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. It is a critical issue facing all major producing basins in North America, including the […]
All About Water
Last fall, Texas Railroad Commissioner and former Midland resident David Porter appointed an Eagle Ford Task Force to discuss water quantity and usage as it relates to oil and gas production in the burgeoning Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. It is a critical issue facing all major producing basins in North America, including the […]
“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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Greater Knowledge—Greater Service
By Lana Cunningham, special contributor. That’s the motto of the Desk and Derrick Club, an organization whose history draws much upon its Permian Basin contingent. Fishing. Hmmm. Are there lakes with boats and fishing poles on them around here, thought the Dallas native who had never been around the oil patch until […]