After 72 years, Canada's oldest oil and gas trade association is announcing a new brand and mandate on Thursday, including the removal of the word "oil" from its name.

The Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors (CAODC) will replace "oilwell drilling" with "energy" to attract new members in a wider variety of fields, not strictly those involved in oilpatch drilling.

With its decision to rebrand, the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors joins several companies that have removed the word 'oil' from their name over the last few decades. The group will become the Canadian Association of Energy Contractors after a formal announcement on Thursday.

The new direction comes at a time when the sector is facing increasing pressure to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions and transition to lower-emitting sources of energy.

CAODC member companies have already approved the new direction, although some grudgingly voted in favour of the name change.

"It seems a shame to me" to change the association's name, said Scott Darling, president of Performance Energy Services in Calgary.

It's not that Darling doesn't believe in climate change or that he doesn't understand how the world is shifting to lower-emitting sources of energy, but he does feel pride in being part of the oil industry.

Not only does it support tens of thousands of families and bolster government coffers, but it provides a material used in countless products — from cars and computers to clothing and medical supplies.

"Quietly, people wish we didn't have to do this, but overtly everybody kind of feels that we do have to do something like that," he said, discussing the mood among member companies.

Darling's company could be considered more of an environmental than an oilpatch business, since all of his crews are currently focused on cleaning up old oil and gas wells.

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