ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — As New Mexico’s oil and gas industry struggles with lower prices and slowing production brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, some state officials and members of Congress are urging the U.S. Interior Department to allow operators to temporarily plugs wells until prices stabilize. U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small's district includes part of the Permian Basin. The New Mexico Democrat is among those who have asked for more federal money to plug abandoned wells on state and tribal land. The state's Oil Conservation Division also supports the idea of a new fund that would give industry workers jobs plugging abandoned wells.
New Mexico delegates, officials press for plugging oil wells
Laura Paskus, New Mexico In Depth
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In northwestern New Mexico, energy companies drill for oil within shale deposits. Since this photo was taken in late 2014, exploration there has slowed.