Local Energy

Peter Brecht and Wade Spear
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Oil and gas podcast with real field experience. WTI markets, drilling, production, oilfield careers, LNG, and energy news — no fluff, just shop talk. Local Energy is hosted by Peter Brecht and Wade Spear. We cover field operations, energy markets, oilfield careers, drilling, production, midstream, LNG, and offshore — with guests from field hands to CEOs, grid operators, and 30-year Chevron veterans. Oil and gas news, career stories, and market analysis from people who did the job — this is your channel. Topics: WTI forecasts, H2S safety, company man roles, oilfield finance, SCADA, Bitcoin o

  1. TRAILER

    Joey Johnston on offshore oil and gas as a career choice.

    Full episode releases on Friday, May 15th.

    25 sec

  2. 6D AGO

    Wireline, Workovers, and Oilfield X with Tejano Brown

    Nosotros estamos tan de vuelta. Tejano Brown joins Local Energy for a real oilfield conversation about wireline, workovers, the Permian Basin, Oilfield X, and training the next generation. In this episode, Peter Brecht and Wade Spear talk with Tejano Brown, also known as Andy De La Rosa, a manager at Underdog Wireline. They cover his path into oil and gas, what it takes to move from hand to engineer to field service manager, the pressure of running a wireline truck, and why workover operations remain such an important part of the business. They also get into pump down perforating, getting stuck deep in a lateral, reputation in the oilfield, loyalty between operators and service companies, the Midland oilfield community, and how social media can help recruit and teach people who are curious about the industry. If you work in wireline, completions, production, workovers, service companies, or you just like real shop talk from people who care about the industry, this episode is for you. Topics discussed: Wireline career progressionCDLs and getting started in oil and gasUnderdog Wireline's growthPump down perforating and workover operationsGetting stuck in a lateralPermian Basin market signalsService company loyalty and crew retentionOilfield X and recruitingTraining the next generation of handsCharlas and the Midland oilfield communityFollow Tejano on XVisit Charlas Restaurante Connect with PeterConnect with Wadelocalenergy.comFollow on YouTubeEmail your questions Local Energy is an oil and gas podcast hosted by Peter Brecht and Wade Spear, covering drilling, production, field operations, energy markets, oilfield careers, insurance, LNG, power, and the people who actually do the work.

    42 min
  3. Drill Baby Drill, One Year Later: Oil Prices, AI, and the Oilfield

    MAY 1

    Drill Baby Drill, One Year Later: Oil Prices, AI, and the Oilfield

    One year later, Peter Brecht and Wade Spear are going back to where Local Energy started: Drill Baby Drill. In this anniversary episode, Peter and Wade look back on the first 51 episodes of Local Energy and revisit the same question that kicked off episode one: what does “Drill Baby Drill” actually mean when you’re looking at it from the oilfield? They talk about oil prices, rig contracts, why activity does not always move as fast as the headlines suggest, and how the industry has changed over the last year. The conversation also covers AI in oil and gas, AI-generated music, favorite guests from year one, weird oilfield market indicators like the Raptor Index and audit activity, and what Local Energy should cover in year two. If you work in oil and gas, drilling, production, service, insurance, energy markets, or you just like real shop talk from people who care about the industry, this episode is for you. Topics discussed: Drill Baby Drill one year later Oil prices and drilling activity Rig contracts and operator budgets AI in oil and gas AI-generated music Oilfield market indicators The Raptor Index Audit activity as an industry signal Energy stocks and market volatility Future Local Energy guests and deep dives Operations, wireline, production, and drill bits Connect with Peter: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbrecht Connect with Wade: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wade-spear-05995b54 Website: https://localenergy.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@localenergyio Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0huYDWqFYOjJScHi26l7Q9 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/local-energy/id1885425019 Email Us: peter@localenergy.com Local Energy is an oil and gas podcast hosted by Peter Brecht and Wade Spear, covering drilling, production, field operations, energy markets, oilfield careers, insurance, LNG, power, and the people who actually do the work.

    22 min
  4. This Cambridge Engineer Says We're Solving the Easy Problem Last | James Macnaghten, Caldera CEO

    APR 24

    This Cambridge Engineer Says We're Solving the Easy Problem Last | James Macnaghten, Caldera CEO

    Industrial heat causes 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions — and almost nobody's working on the easy part. James Macnaghten is a Cambridge-trained engineer with 20+ patents who shut down his first energy storage company after realizing it's often cheaper to throw renewable energy away than store it. Now as CEO of Caldera, he's converting cheap electricity into industrial steam using recycled aluminum and volcanic rock — and deploying units into hospitals and factories without requiring grid upgrades. James breaks down why the energy world keeps chasing steelmaking and cement while ignoring brewing, food, and pharma. He makes the case for hybridization over going 100% clean, shares why he thinks oil demand is headed for a crash, and questions whether the AI energy boom can survive its own economics. Caldera's first appearance on the show — and our first guest from across the Atlantic. Timestamps: 0:00 Intro 0:57 Meet James Macnaghten 2:52 Have humans landed on the moon? 3:22 Tourists or engineers — which gives more grief? 3:35 20+ patents and what James learned about filing 5:09 From Cambridge to Isentropic to Caldera 7:48 The epiphany: cheaper to throw energy away 9:31 Never use air as a heat transfer medium 15:53 Industrial heat — the overlooked 20% 16:17 Why we're solving the wrong problem first 18:51 Hybridization over 100% clean 20:02 The 1,000-hour rule for surplus renewables 21:04 Caldera alongside factory gas boilers 23:02 Diesel prices and R&D cycles 27:58 GEA's investment in Caldera 29:34 Heat pumps and managing peak demand 31:36 First deployments going into a hospital 33:31 Oil demand crash prediction 35:23 Will the AI energy bubble burst? 37:15 Where to find James Guest links: James Macnaghten — https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-macnaghten-7aaa65a/ Caldera — https://www.caldera.co.uk/ Connect with us: Website — https://localenergy.com Peter Brecht — https://www.linkedin.com/in/peterbrecht/ Wade Spear — https://www.linkedin.com/in/wadespear/ Guest inquiries — peter@localenergy.com

    37 min
  5. Welcome to the Local Energy Podcast

    APR 23

    Welcome to the Local Energy Podcast

    The oil and gas industry is full of corporate talking points and "green energy theater"—this podcast is the antidote. Most energy content is produced by people who have never stepped foot on a rig. Local Energy is different. We bring you authentic shop talk from the people who actually move the needle: field hands, well-site supervisors, drilling engineers, CEOs, and geologists. From the logistics of 31,000-foot wells to navigating the WTI markets, we dive deep into the gritty reality of how energy actually works. No scripts, no corporate filters—just the raw experience of those who have spent more hours in a wireline truck than they can count. Real Industry Insights: The truth about drilling and production. Career Moves: How to build a life and a business in the patch. Market Realities: WTI, service company survival, and industry downturns. New episodes drop every week. Hit the [+] Follow button to stay updated and leave us a 5-star rating if you’re tired of the mainstream energy narrative.

    1 min
  6. Non-Operated Oil & Gas Assets Explained: Inside Red Stag Resources with Matt Dangel & Richard Ball

    APR 17

    Non-Operated Oil & Gas Assets Explained: Inside Red Stag Resources with Matt Dangel & Richard Ball

    Two former Chevron professionals walked away from corporate energy to build something different. Matt Dangel (CEO) and Richard Ball (COO) of Red Stag Resources join Peter Brecht to explain how non-operated partnerships actually work — and why their conventional asset expertise gives operators something most non-op partners never offer. Matt holds degrees in petroleum, chemical, and electrical engineering from Texas A&M. Richard is a geologist who worked the San Juan Basin, deepwater Gulf of Mexico, and conventional assets in Angola before spending six years in investment banking on the sell side. Together, they bring complementary buy-side and sell-side deal experience to a market segment most of the industry has overlooked. Topics covered in this episode: What non-operated working interests actually are and how JOAs work Why conventional oil and gas assets are underserved by today's workforce How Red Stag adds technical value beyond just writing checks The difference between conventional and unconventional assets explained Building a pitch deck and raising capital for a non-op fund Career advice for students entering the oil and gas industry in 2030 What happened when WTI went negative on April 20, 2020 The story of how Matt and Richard met at Chevron (and the giant corner office) How complementary skill sets — engineering vs. geology, optimism vs. cynicism — make a partnership work Choosing operators and basins: Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas How data and AI tools are being applied to conventional assets Multivariate testing on wells and the risk of turning too many knobs at once Guest: Matt Dangel, CEO — Red Stag Resources Guest: Richard Ball, COO — Red Stag Resources Website: https://www.redstagresources.com Host: Peter Brecht · Local Energy Podcast Website: https://localenergy.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0huYDWqFYOjJScHi26l7Q9 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/local-energy/id1885425019 Contact / Guest inquiries: peter@localenergy.com

    30 min
  7. From Political Campaigns to Pipelines: How Leigh Haas Built Mockingbird Land Services

    APR 10

    From Political Campaigns to Pipelines: How Leigh Haas Built Mockingbird Land Services

    Leigh Haas ran a congressional campaign before she could legally rent a car. Now she runs Mockingbird Land Services and has managed 350 land agents across a 600-mile, 5-state pipeline project. She joins Peter Brecht and Wade Spear to talk about the side of the energy industry most people never see. From lobbying to land work, Leigh breaks down what landmen actually do, how to call a bluff in a negotiation, and what managing hundreds of agents in the field looked like before Zoom existed. Topics covered in this episode: How Leigh went from running a political campaign to working in oil and gas land The overlap between lobbying skills and land negotiation What landmen actually negotiate — and the tactics that work Managing 350 land agents across a 600-mile, 5-state pipeline corridor How to keep a field team aligned on remote projects before modern communication tools What Mockingbird Land Services does and the problems it solves for operators The invisible infrastructure work that makes pipelines and energy projects possible Guest: Leigh Haas, Mockingbird Land Services Host: Peter Brecht | Local Energy Podcast Website: https://localenergy.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0huYDWqFYOjJScHi26l7Q9 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/local-energy/id1885425019

    28 min
  8. Oilfield Heat Safety: Dehydration, Wearable Tech, and the Science of Sweat with Randall Arms

    APR 3

    Oilfield Heat Safety: Dehydration, Wearable Tech, and the Science of Sweat with Randall Arms

    A 3% loss in body fluid causes the same cognitive slowdown as a 0.08 blood alcohol level. Randall Arms of Epicore Biosystems joins Peter Brecht to explain why waiting until you're thirsty is already too late — and how wearable sweat-sensing technology is changing oilfield safety. Working in the Permian Basin or San Joaquin Valley means operating in extreme heat with real cognitive and physical consequences most workers never track. Randall breaks down the biology of dehydration, the concept of the industrial athlete, and what a Chevron case study revealed about daily performance loss in the field. Topics covered in this episode: Why thirst is a lagging indicator of dehydration How a 3% fluid loss equals 0.08 BAC in cognitive impairment The industrial athlete concept and what it means for oilfield workers How the Epicore patch measures sweat rate and sodium loss in real time Chevron's San Joaquin Valley case study results The truth about energy drinks and diuretics in the field Long-term hydration risk — chronic kidney disease for field workers What heat stress management looks like going forward Whether you are a safety professional, field hand, or supervisor in oil and gas, this episode gives you the science and the tools to keep your crew operational in the toughest conditions on earth. Guest: Randall Arms, Epicore Biosystems LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/randallarms Website: https://epicorebiosystems.com Host: Peter Brecht | Local Energy Podcast Website: https://localenergy.com Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0huYDWqFYOjJScHi26l7Q9 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/local-energy/id1885425019

    23 min
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About

Oil and gas podcast with real field experience. WTI markets, drilling, production, oilfield careers, LNG, and energy news — no fluff, just shop talk. Local Energy is hosted by Peter Brecht and Wade Spear. We cover field operations, energy markets, oilfield careers, drilling, production, midstream, LNG, and offshore — with guests from field hands to CEOs, grid operators, and 30-year Chevron veterans. Oil and gas news, career stories, and market analysis from people who did the job — this is your channel. Topics: WTI forecasts, H2S safety, company man roles, oilfield finance, SCADA, Bitcoin o

Information

  • Creator
    Peter Brecht and Wade Spear
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Peter Brecht and Wade Spear
  • Show Website
    Local Energy