Small Towns Are Booming, Thanks to Rising Oil Prices

Rebecca Elliot and Harriet Torry | Wall Street Journal | June 28, 2018
HOBBS, N.M.— Oil is booming again in the Permian Basin, and so are the fortunes of this sun-bleached town.
Read moreNM could play key role in Interior revamp

Michael Coleman | Journal Washington Bureau | July 8, 2018A plan to dramatically reorganize the U.S. Department of the Interior and shift some of its management out of Washington – possibly even to Albuquerque – is moving ahead under Secretary Ryan Zinke, but New Mexico’s senior U.S. senator wants more information before any federal money is spent.
ACTIVISTS TARGET NEW MEXICO OFFICIALS IN BRUTAL FIGHT OVER A MUNDANE FRACKING RULE

Chris White | Energy Reporter | July 7, 2018
Environmentalists in a small New Mexico county are ratcheting up the rhetoric against local fracking ordinances as government officials fear the fight is taking on new and terrifying dimensions.
Read moreFighting poverty starts with supporting energy

Emily Haggstrom | Albuquerque Journal | July 2, 2018
New Mexico now ranks last nationally in child well-being, per an analysis from New Mexico Voices for Children.
Federal data also shows New Mexico is challenged in areas of income and job growth, child development and income disparity, leaving many without the opportunities most Americans enjoy.
That’s because families here often have tough choices to make.
Read moreGas production up; emissions down

Mathew Kandrach | Albuquerque Journal | June 22, 2018
Hard as it may seem to believe given the noise surrounding the issue, methane emissions from U.S. natural gas production actually fell 14 percent between 1990 and 2016. This, despite the fact that during the same period natural gas production rose by more than 50 percent, according to the American Petroleum Institute.
Read moreOil Boom Boosts New Mexico Economy

Dan Boyd | Albuquerque Journal | June 12, 2018
SANTA FE – New Mexico’s coffers are suddenly bulging after several cash-lean years, due primarily to a sustained surge in the production and price of oil – which some lawmakers have taken to calling black gold.
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