Overview:

Episode 157 of The Driller Newscast finds host Brock Yordy connecting winter safety, major DOE restructuring, and the growing overlap between water, drilling, and geothermal energy. From freeze hazards on the rig to aquifer mapping and geothermal expansion, the episode highlights how policy and field realities are reshaping the energy grid.

Key points:

• Winter safety reminders and OSHA 300A deadline
• DOE merges geothermal into new hydrocarbons-focused office
• New Mexico invests in aquifer mapping and water rights battles
• Geothermal networks expand in MA and CO
• Ground to Grid 2027 + Dan Sergison interview, Part 2

Read on for a more detailed recap of our discussion this week.

Episode 157 of The Driller Newscast packs a lot into one conversation, blending winter safety, water stress, and a major shift in how the federal government is positioning geothermal alongside oil and gas. Host Brock Yordy opens where every crew should this time of year: cold-weather safety. Freeze-thaw cycles create slick rig floors, brittle equipment, and rushed decision-making, all of which drive incidents higher. Brock reminds contractors that slowing down in winter is how people stay working long term, not how projects fall behind. He also flags the OSHA 300A posting deadline coming up in April, encouraging companies to use it as a real safety check-in instead of just another form.

From there, the episode zooms out to the global stage. Preparations for the 2026 Winter Olympics are leaning heavily on artificial snowmaking, pulling massive amounts of water to keep slopes usable. Brock uses it as a clear example of how fragile winter water supplies have become. Shrinking snowpack is no longer just an environmental concern; it is an infrastructure and economic issue that affects communities far beyond ski resorts.

That same water and energy tension shows up in one of the biggest stories of the episode: the restructuring inside the U.S. Department of Energy. With U.S. oil production hitting record levels, the Department dissolved its standalone clean energy office and folded the Geothermal Technologies Office into a newly formed Office of Hydrocarbons and Geothermal Energy. In practical terms, geothermal is now being treated as a subsurface energy partner to oil and gas.

Brock breaks down why that matters for drillers. For years, geothermal lived in a separate policy and funding lane from traditional drilling. Now the same rigs, crews, financing models, and project experience that built America’s oil and gas sector are being positioned to scale geothermal much faster. Instead of competing worlds, hydrocarbons and heat are becoming part of one long-term energy strategy.

The episode then heads southwest, where New Mexico is investing $22 million into aquifer mapping to better understand groundwater before shortages become crises. Better data means smarter water rights decisions, more sustainable well development, and fewer surprises as drought pressure increases. At the same time, lawmakers are wrestling with how treated fracking wastewater should be handled, raising tough questions about reuse, groundwater protection, and long-term risk.

On the innovation front, Brock highlights the growth of thermal energy networks in places like Massachusetts and Colorado. These systems heat and cool entire neighborhoods using shared underground loops rather than single-building installs. The takeaway is simple: geothermal is proving it can work at community scale, in cities and mountain towns alike, while easing strain on electric grids. For drillers, that means repeatable borefields and long-term infrastructure work instead of one-off projects.

The episode wraps with news about the upcoming Ground2Grid conference in 2027 and Part 2 of Brock’s interview with Dan Sergison of Salas O'Brien, continuing the conversation on how geothermal design and field execution are finally starting to align.

The big takeaway from Episode 157 is clear: the future of energy and water is happening underground. Winter safety still saves lives. Water scarcity is reshaping policy and planning. Geothermal is moving into the mainstream. And drilling expertise is becoming more valuable than ever. As Brock puts it throughout the show, 21st-century energy dominance is not about choosing one resource. It is about harnessing everything beneath our feet.

Thanks for joining us.

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Brock Yordy, Global Drilling SME, Anchor, and lead content creator at TheDriller.com, wants you to contribute to TheDriller.com. Send news, tips and interview suggestions to questions@askbrock.com.