Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Oil industry CEOs now testifying before Senate Finance Committee
Posted in Uncategorized on May 12, 2011| Leave a Comment »
On Mothers’ Day
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Mothers Day, Oilfield wives on May 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »
I thought I would draw attention to this Facebook page. 
This is a place for the wives and gf’s and mothers of oilfield workers here in Clarke County. I believe that our oilfield workers should have the same esteem as our military men and women. The way our world is now, these oilfield workers are sacrificing a lot to contribute their part of the oilfield.
I agree with those sentiments!
Best wishes to my mother and wife, and to all other mothers on this special day.
More BOP innovation on display at OTC
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged accidents, blowouts, BOP, Deepwater Horizon, drilling, macondo, offshore drilling, OTC, safety, well control on May 4, 2011| 1 Comment »
“I didn’t have a lot of set ideas about how things should work in the energy industry,” Jahnke said. “So I thought ‘Why can’t we try a curved blade?’ like the curved hook on a Swiss Army Knife can opener.”
Since January, T-3 has been testing Jahnke’s design, slicing through just about every size of drill pipe and casing used in the Gulf.
National Oilwell Varco is showing customers its new shear rams — a pair of trident-like blades that puncture a drill pipe before cutting it to shreds. The ShearMax Low Force Casing Shear Rams are aimed at cutting through tool joints – the thickest section of a drill pipe where it screws into another section of pipe.
GE Oil & Gas’ Hydril line of blowout preventers include a hardware and software system that allows an operator to know exactly how far shear rams close within the blowout preventer.
Another new Hydril product captures the natural pressure thousands of feet underwater to help activate a shear ram.
Weatherford International has touted its new “closed-loop” drilling system, which allows for better monitoring for gas as mud comes back from a well during drilling.
Harper’s victory margin encouraging for offshore energy?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Canada, offshore drilling, offshore oil on May 4, 2011| Leave a Comment »
From Platt’s Oilgram News: 
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper turned two minority election victories since 2006 into a clear-cut majority win May 2, giving him the freedom to govern unchallenged for four years and, if he chooses, open the door to Canada’s first offshore oil and natural gas exports, climate change legislation, a national energy strategy and increased resource sector takeovers by foreign state owned companies.
Harper wasted no time telling reporters May 3 that Western Canada, whose economies rely heavily on oil, natural gas and mineral resources, can “breathe a lot easier.” He said NDP and Liberal policies calling for a ban on crude oil and LNG tankers off the northern British Columbia coast and a cap-and-trade emissions-reduction plan “were pretty seriously threatening” to Western Canada. “It’s a great thing those policies won’t be coming to fruition,” Harper promised.
PTTEP to drill 2 new wells near Montara
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Australia, blowouts, Montara, offshore drilling, PTTEP, safety, well control on May 3, 2011| Leave a Comment »
PTTEPAA, through its responsible and proactive response to the Incident has shown its commitment to responsible environmental management.
Comment: Those who read the Montara submissions and closely followed the official inquiry are likely to question this conclusion. Perhaps PTTEP should have emphasized the lessons learned and their commitment to better performance in the future.
Mexican oil exports to end?
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged exports, Mexico, oil production on May 2, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Mexico, the third-largest supplier of foreign oil to the United States, could lose the capacity to export crude altogether within a decade without major new investments in exploration and production, warns a research group report released on Friday. New York Times
President Boudreaux
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged Boudreaux, Lousiana, LSU on April 21, 2011| Leave a Comment »
As a former New Orleans resident, I am an admirer of the Lousisiana Cajuns, their joie de vivre, and their sense of humor. I just received this “Boudreaux” story from a BOE contributor, and I must say that it is quite believable. If you have lived in South Louisiana, you’ll know what I mean!
The year is 2016 and the United States has just elected the first woman, a Louisiana State University graduate, as President of the United States, Susan Boudreaux.
A few days after the election the president-elect calls her father and says, ‘So, Dad, I assume you will be coming to my inauguration?’
‘I don’t think so. It’s a 30 hour drive, your mother isn’t as young as she used to be, and my arthritis is acting up again.’
‘Don’t worry about it Dad, I’ll send Air Force One to pick you up and take you home. And a limousine will pick you up at your door.’
‘I don’t know. Everybody will be so fancy. What would your mother wear?’
Oh Dad, replies Susan, ‘I’ll make sure she has a wonderful gown custom-made by the best designer in New York.
‘Honey,’ Dad complains, ‘you know I can’t eat those rich foods you and your friends like to eat.’
The President-to-be responds, ‘Don’t worry Dad. The entire affair is going to be handled by the best caterer in New York, I’ll ensure your meals are salt free Dad, I really want you to come.’
So Dad reluctantly agrees and on January 20, 2017, Susan Boudreaux is being sworn in as President of the United States.
In the front row sits the new president’s Dad and Mom. Dad noticing the senator sitting next to him leans over and whispers, ‘You see that woman over there with her hand on the Bible, becoming President of the United States.’
The Senator whispers back, ‘Yes I do.’
Dad says proudly, ‘Her brother played football at LSU.’
While we are talking about Offshore Safety Day
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged accidents, Bristow, Gulf of Mexico, helicopters, NOIA, safety, Safety in Seas Award, Target Zero on April 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Congratulations to Bristow for winning the 2011 National Ocean Industries Association (NOIA) Safety-in-Seas Award. Bristow, a helicopter company, was recognized for its “Target Zero” program.
I was honored to serve as one of the judges, and Bristow is a most deserving recipient of this prestigious award. To the best of my knowledge, the Safety-in-Seas program, which began in 1978, is the oldest safety award program for offshore oil and gas operations.
I would also like to congratulate the other Safety-in-Seas nominees. All of the nominations were outstanding. While we must learn from accidents and failures, we can also learn from successes. The achievements of outstanding companies and safety leaders deserve attention and recognition.
KATC.com provides more information on Bristow’s selection:
“Target Zero” is a comprehensive cultural and training system that seeks to achieve zero accidents, zero harm to people and zero harm to the environment across Bristow’s operations. Building on statistical data that indicated human error contributed to 4 out of 5 accidents or incidents, Bristow’s “Target Zero” has reduced the rate of air accidents in for example the Gulf of Mexico from 2 reportable air accidents and one air incident in 2007 to zero accidents or incidents, with similar results in subsequent years. Bristow has achieved a 47% improvement year on year in Lost Work-time Cases, with overall improvement from 2007 – 2009 of 88%. When it comes to the environment, Bristow’s “Target Zero has maintained a record of zero environmental incidents and has stepped up pro-active efforts to ensure this stays constant.
Offshore Safety Day
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged accidents, Brazil, Canada, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, International Offshore Safety Day, Newfoundland, North Sea, safety on April 20, 2011| 2 Comments »
Proposal: Let’s make April 20th International Offshore Safety Day to honor those who have been killed or injured, to recognize the many workers who provide energy for our economies and way of life, and to encourage safety leadership by all offshore operators, contractors, and service companies.
Discussion: April 20th is, of course, the anniversary of the Macondo tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven men died on the Deepwater Horizon that day. Many other offshore workers have died or been injured exploring for and producing offshore energy. 167 workers were killed when Piper Alpha exploded in 1988, 84 died when the Ocean Ranger sank in 1982, 123 perished when the Alexander Kielland capsized in 1980, 17 died in a helicopter crash off Newfoundland in 2009, 11 died when the Petrobras 36 sank in the Roncador field in 2001, and many others have been killed working offshore. Some of these accidents, like last summer’s fatality on the Jack Ryan offshore Nigeria, receive no public notice. Others like the fall in the Gulf on Monday or the recent diver fatality in the North Sea receive just a brief mention.
In addition to honoring those killed or injured, Offshore Safety Day would draw attention to the importance of offshore workers, their dedication and commitment, progress that is being made in addressing offshore safety risks, and the outstanding safety management efforts of leading companies around the world. It’s time for a day to honor offshore workers!
Three offshore oil and gas bills clear House Natural Resources Committee
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged drilling, House Natural Resources Committee, leasing, macondo, offshore drilling, offshore oil, permitting, Regulation, safety on April 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »
- Require that a Central Gulf of Mexico (GoM) oil and gas lease sale be held within 4 months of enactment, and that a second sale for that area be held within 12 months.
- Require that a Western GoM sale be held within 8 months of enactment.
- Stipulate that prior environmental reviews would satisfy NEPA requirements for the GoM sales.
- Require that a Virginia offshore sale be conducted within 1 year of enactment. [Comment: While I support a sale offshore Virginia, I do not believe this can be accomplished in one year.]
- Require that specified volumes of oil and gas (per estimates made by MMS in 2006) be made available for leasing.
- Set offshore production goals.
- Give credits (for use in paying lease bonuses) to companies for costs associated with pre-sale seismic surveys. [Comment: If the legislation provides reasonable assurance that lease sales will be held, why are the seismic survey credits needed? The seismic data will have a high commercial value. Collection of these data should not have to be subsidized by the Federal government.]
- Require that DOI act on drilling applications within 60 days.
- Extend the term leases where the approval of drilling applications was delayed following the Macondo blowout.
- Make the 5th Circuit Court the venue for any civil actions involving GoM energy projects.
- [Comment: The important question is not the number of days that the regulator should be given to review applications, but whether a complex permit review and approval process is the optimal regulatory approach. A lesson learned from virtually every major accident, from Santa Barbara through the Ocean Ranger, Alexander Kielland, Piper Alpha, and Macondo, is that command and control regulation is not in the best interest of offshore safety. Industry should not rely on government to manage its operations and government should focus on safety achievement, not directing the day-to-day activities of offshore companies. Over the long-term, the US would be better served if regulatory resources were dedicated to risk assessment, data analysis, assessment of operator and contractor management systems, targeted inspections and audits, participation in standards development and research, and safety leadership.]
Bud's Offshore Energy (BOE) 