The business of environmental services keeps evolving into something more akin to a real business function, and less like an onerous duty. The trend is driven partly by conscience and partly by receptivity to change. The days in which “environmental” was a dirty word in the oil patch are long gone, say the experts. More […]
Oilfield Trash: A Personal Reminiscence
by Bobby Weaver During the 1950s and ’60s I was a part of the hard working, hard drinking group of oilfield of hands in the Permian Basin who were generally referred to as “oilfield trash” by outsiders. In those days Odessa had the reputation as the rough and ready working man’s town while Midland, only […]
The Digital Oilfield, Now and Forever: Sidebars
Sidebars to accompany the second installment of the Digital Oilfield. Editor’s Note: PBOG Magazine asked Lance Tolar, president of Tolar Systems Inc., to comment on how technology is transforming the oilfield. He’s done that, both in this issue and in last month’s installment of this series, but he also indicated to us that there is a tradeoff that […]
Pipe: Keeping Pace With an Industry
The simplest implement in the oilfield–a joint of pipe–is not so simple any more, but that’s good for all involved. Edwin Drake started the ball rolling when he designed a method of drilling for oil that used an iron pipe. Since those early days of the oil industry in 1859 when his iron drive pipe […]
Temporary Housing: Taking the Long View
Workforce housing now consists of more than just a Home on the Range. Throughout history, mineral plays have brought floods of people to remote areas that lacked sufficient resources and infrastructure to house, clothe, and feed such hordes. We’re not told how King Solomon housed the workers at his mines at Ophir, but we know […]