I think a lot about training and thought about it again as I read freelancer Aaron Foley’s article this month (page 32) on a gas well simulator at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Williamsport, Pa.
Last month in this space, I started by saying “drillers have a lot to talk about.” I went on to discuss a few projects I found interesting and to suggest that drillers should let people know about the projects they work on—the ones they take pride in.
I have a soft spot for human achievement. We engineer, drill and tunnel ourselves out of some of the hardest problems imaginable. This month, we write about a project that installed a pipeline for brine under the Mississippi River.
Law shapes much of what we do. For writers, law affects what we can publish. We can’t, for example, libel people by printing accusations not supported by facts. Laws and government regulations also govern drilling, whether drillers go after water, turn to the right in search of oil or gas, or run horizontally installing fiber optic lines.
Change keeps life interesting. From where this editor stands, a few varieties of change keep things moving ahead. The best kind of change involves plans. You put real effort and care into laying out an idea and the steps—one after the next—that will make that idea reality.
Two recent stories brought the rights of well drillers and well owners into stark relief.
What is the responsibility of the well drilling and water systems professions to the environment? Where do the rights of one homeowner begin and end, particularly in a time of water scarcity?
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