A mission to serve

America’s veterans make up more than 6 percent of the U.S. construction workforce. As industry professional Brock Yordy writes, at over half a million strong, transitioning service members bring qualities you cannot screen out of 100 online interviews: situational awareness, mechanical grit, and an unshakeable sense of mission. In his latest Yordy takes a look at two factions of military drillers and how their work transcends the job site. 

Clean Energy takes a dive

That after four years of consistent growth, jobs in clean energy in the United States fell in 2025? At the end of last year, America had 3.52 million jobs, down 37,000 from the year prior. According to a report, the drop represents only 1% of the entire workforce, but still erased roughly 40% of the previous year’s growth. 

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Play our quiz!

Drillers are always learning. We’ve created a fun way for you to test the knowledge you know, and gain some smart insight when it comes to the work you do everyday with our collection of quizzes, called Driller or Digger? Choose your category, take the quiz and see where you stack up with the rest of the industry. Get started right here! 

Adapt (safely) to survive

Any driller knows that the work on a job site doesn’t always go as anticipated, and the need to adapt is important. That adaptation isn’t inherently unsafe; in fact, doing it well is necessary and often what makes employees able and willing so valuable. However, safety and quality concerns arise when those adaptations introduce risks that were not anticipated or are not adequately controlled. In his latest, safety expert Michael Coon offers guidance for when in change the risks can be real but the steps to take before a mistake occurs.

EPA cracks down on alleged bad wells in Oklahoma

The Environmental Protection Agency officials cracked down on two companies that operate CO2 management and oil recovery plants in Oklahoma recently that offered a timely reminder about the protection of underground contaminants to not leech into underground sources of fresh drinking water. Here’s a look at what was alleged, and what happens next. 

Sword meets pen

For over 20 years, Joseph J. Smith, who we affectionately refer to as “J.J.” in our newsroom has been covering the drilling and environmental remediation industry from a government, policy and civic perspective for The Driller. But Smith, who is an accomplished writer is also a member of the U.S. Marine Corps and got his start in journalism while in service. He opens up about his time in the Corps and how it forged not just his career but a duty to cover the industry.