The Driller RSS

Extreme Ownership from the Front Lines to the Rig Platform

brock@thedriller.com (Brock Yordy) — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 15:22:53 -0400

What Rob Jones Teaches Us About Leadership

Stop Asking "What Were You Thinking?" After a Safety Incident

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 00:00:00 -0400

When an unsafe shortcut gets the job done, it can quickly start to feel like experience. Instead of asking, “What were you thinking?” after something goes wrong, ask why the decision made sense in the first place, and what could make the safer choice easier next time.

Three bits: Gateway tunnel boring begins, the 'dirty energy' states and more

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 16:20:46 -0400

Your routine roundup of drilling news from across the globe.

Yale Completes 263-Borehole Geothermal Field Beneath Science Hill

johnnyoldaniwords@gmail.com (John Oldani) — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 11:17:21 -0400

Crews drilled 263 boreholes to depths of 850 feet as part of a district geothermal system that will heat and cool the university's research buildings.

Diamond to Geotech - How Two Fields Diverge

Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:00:00 -0400

Diamond drillers and geotechnical drillers may work in distinct specialties today, but their histories are closely connected. A look back at early soil sampling, the rise of the Standard Penetration Test and the development of combination rigs shows how one drilling tradition eventually branched into two.

EPA Changes Approach to Leaking Underground Tanks in Midwest

johnnyoldaniwords@gmail.com (John Oldani) — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 14:31:06 -0400

The agency says more targeted testing helped close 10 leaking underground storage tank cases in Michigan and Minnesota while cutting investigation costs.

Three Bits: The Behind the Scenes Extension on Coal and Drilling for Noah's Ark?

Tue, 29 Sep 2026 11:30:55 -0400

Your routine roundup of drilling news and notes from across the globe

The Anthropology of Drilling: A Field Guide for Drillers, Engineers, Scientists, and GCs

brock@thedriller.com (Brock Yordy) — Tue, 29 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0400

What happens when engineers, scientists and GCs step into the natural habitat of Homo Sapiens Drillerus? Mud flies, field instincts take over and engineered plans meet what the ground is actually willing to give you. Take a humorous trip inside drill crew culture and discover why respecting the experience at the controls can help keep projects moving.

‘One Well Creates Many’: The wild story of how the South Carolina Groundwater Association got S.C. House Bill 5111 passed

kgabriel@bnpmedia.com (Kerith Gabriel) — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 09:00:00 -0400

The SCGWA "set precedent" when it comes to other associations fighting for a right to own a private water well. Here's how they did it.

What Do Geothermal Heat Pumps Really Cost? ORNL Wants to Know

johnnyoldaniwords@gmail.com (John Oldani) — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 14:04:23 -0400

New DOE-backed survey asks contractors and drillers to share project costs.

Wildfire Smoke Should Be Treated as an Ongoing Health Hazard for Outdoor Workers. Here's Why.

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:45:05 -0400

Drilling crews are continuing full shifts even as air quality alerts intensify. Many don't have the right respiratory protection, or even realize what they have won't actually protect them

Rock Xtreme® RX Series

Fri, 25 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The next big thing in drilling can be small.

Three Bits: NFL quarterback gifts AC to Philly schools, U.S. switch still too slow from fossil fuels and more

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 10:02:17 -0400

Our routine look at three quick hits to know affecting the drilling industry and beyond

Why Safety Training Still Fails in 2026

Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:47:00 -0400

Safety culture isn't built through posters and checklists alone. It relies on understanding your workforce: how employees learn, and what leaders do after the training’s over.

EPA’s Water Reuse Action Plan Expected to Cut Industrial Discharges of PFAS Substances

josephjsmith749@gmail.com (J.J. Smith) — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:35:26 -0400

The new plan includes a list of more than 180 state reuse regulations, guidelines compiled by EPA

Bipartisan Support is Present for Senate Bills Advancing Geothermal Energy

josephjsmith749@gmail.com (J.J. Smith) — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:26:09 -0400

Bills would increase drilling for geothermal, and support demonstration projects.

The Geothermal Renaissance: Scaling the Subsurface at GRC 2026

brock@thedriller.com (Brock Yordy) — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0400

The "Geothermal Decade" is no longer a forward-looking prediction; it is an active drilling and construction site.

Drillers and More Get the Opportunity to 'Educate Themselves' at the 2026 NDA Drill Expo

kgabriel@bnpmedia.com (Kerith Gabriel) — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 15:14:33 -0400

Nearly 500 attendees where treated to two days of education, instruction and camaderie inside the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville

Renewed DOE Science Panel Includes ‘Geothermal Heat’ Among its Priorities

josephjsmith749@gmail.com (J.J. Smith) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:24:09 -0400

Electricity generation urged to be part of the panel’s geothermal focus

Heading to this week's NDA Drill Expo? Here's what you can expect.

johnnyoldaniwords@gmail.com (John Oldani) — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 07:11:53 -0400

Big rigs, industry challenges, AI, safety and two packed days in Nashville. Here’s what you won’t want to miss Sept. 17-18.

The Cost of Super El Niño: Water, Power, Agriculture, & Lawsuits

brock@thedriller.com (Brock Yordy) — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 14:44:13 -0400

With $2,500/MWh power spikes and Nevada facing 70% water cuts, Brock Yordy breaks down the massive economic toll of 2026 El Nino

Uncharted Waters, Chapter II: A Community Blueprint for Defending Against Industrial Exploitation.

brock@thedriller.com (Brock Yordy) — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:02:01 -0400

An examination into stopping developers from isolating landowners, one dry borehole at a time with proactive blueprints to protect water lifelines.

Nevada King Gold Corp. Adds Fourth Rig as Atlanta Gold Drilling Program Expands

johnnyoldaniwords@gmail.com (John Oldani) — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 15:18:29 -0400

The company has plans to move into new exploration areas, working through a 40,000-meter reverse circulation drilling program.

The Tale of Two Mentors: How Knowledge Keepers and Wisdom Sharers Redefine Field Experience

brock@thedriller.com (Brock Yordy) — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Veteran drillers can either guard what they know or pass it on. The difference can shape safety, uptime, crew development and the future of the trade.

Three bits: Geothermal grants, Good Samaritan awards and Ohio's doubt with data centers

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 17:25:45 -0400

Your daily crawl of drilling news from around the globe that's affecting the industry and the people involved in it.

EPA Adds Microplastics to Drinking Water Watch List, but Regulation Could Be a Long Way Off

johnnyoldaniwords@gmail.com (John Oldani) — Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:15:53 -0400

Environmental watchdogs argue the move is unlikely to lead to enforceable limits anytime soon.

City of Virginia Beach Kick Off Geotechnical Drilling Work Along Stretches of the Chesapeake Bay

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:42:10 -0400

Working with the Army Corps of Engineers, the city is taking preventative measure to mitigate severe flood risks along the coast and in the town.

Three bits: Geothermal is heating up in China, the 21-year Superfund cleanup and more.

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:20:12 -0400

A daily crawl of drilling news from around the globe that's affecting the industry and the people involved in it.

Geothermal heats up in China, a 21 year old Superfund cleanup and more

Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:10:06 -0400

A daily crawl of the news that's affecting the industry and the people involved in all of it, brought to you by the Driller

What they’re drilling for in Robbinsdale, Minn.

kgabriel@bnpmedia.com (Kerith Gabriel) — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 00:00:00 -0400

A PFAS investigation is taking drilling crews hundreds of feet underground in search of the contamination source.