GOLDSMITH — It’s Friday, which means it’s hamburger day at Benro Pump and Supply. Employees of this family-owned company gather around the grill outside the garage. In the background are endless rows of pipes, tools and other equipment that help lift the vast oil supply in the Permian Basin. A year ago, the shop that makes custom oil pumps was busy. So while owner Ben Bilbrey, his wife, Corinna, and their team, enjoyed the peaceful afternoon in July, anxiety loomed. It’s not usually this quiet.
Judge sanctions president of bankrupt San Antonio-area oil field services company In his lifetime, Bilbrey has seen the oil and gas industry’s ups and downs. And yet, the current up has him down. While the industry is posting record profits, there are fewer locally owned and family-operated companies like his in West Texas. The bustling industry is changing and contracting. Corporate mergers mean fewer customers for oil field equipment companies like Bilbrey’s.
Texas will have to cut methane emissions from oil fields under federal climate rule The 25-year-old assistant foreman clipped the pump onto hooks on the passenger side of his truck and began the 15-minute drive back to the office. Ford was hired at Benro Pump in 2019. In his previous job, the Oklahoma native helped build electrical substations in the oil fields. It was a good-paying gig, he said. But the 14-hour shifts with no holidays were terrible. After a year on the job, he took a break.