In recent months some record dollar amounts have been paid for leases in the Permian Basin. In 2018 a Santa Fe firm that places bids for anonymous investors bid more than $95,000 per acre for a tract of U.S. government land on the New Mexico side of the Basin. That number was a record high […]
Turning to the Right
In many ways, the story of drilling is the story of the drill bit. As that device has changed, so has the entire enterprise of making hole. by Bobby Weaver In today’s world the speed and efficiency of drilling oil wells has reached a level undreamed of by early day oilmen. The evolution […]
Drilling Deeper: Success- Examples of it, Paths Toward It
High achievement—as a topic and as an objective–is under discussion in some of this month’s array of truncated articles. As always, you are invited to sample these article intros below, and go to the PBOG website (pbog.com/DrillingDeeper) to get the full version of each one. Fracking Tops Environmental Issues A full 57 percent […]
Drilling Deeper: Strong Sentiments, Sensible Suggestions
Opinions and advice are in ample supply in our array of articles. These are the full versions of the “Drilling Deeper” news items that appeared in abbreviated versions in the print edition of the August PBOG. EPA Gets Supreme Setback Railroad Commission of Texas Chairman Barry Smitherman commended action recently by the U.S. […]
Straight up Horizontal
The move to laterals has the Permian Basin turning the bit in earnest, but not every driller is finished with the traditional vertical well. When Jim Henry stood up at a networking meeting in Midland recently and commented that his company, Henry Resources, will start using some horizontal rigs, everyone knew the world had changed. […]
Drilling Efficiency
Drilling efficiency is the phrase on everyone’s lips, as the bar keeps getting set higher and higher. Industry observers weigh in on getting the most drilling done in the least time for the least money. Reducing drilling costs is an everyday topic in the oil patch and there is no simple answer. Is that site […]