In August 2019 Covenant Health announced plans to build a new hospital in Hobbs, with a groundbreaking in January 2021, but on Tuesday Covenant announced it will be in Lea County even sooner by purchasing Lea Regional Medical Center. Tuesday, Covenant signed a purchase agreement with Lea Regional and it corporate owner, Community Health Systems Inc., with an anticipated closing …

More than two-thirds of New Mexican voters recognize the value of the oil and gas industry, according to a new poll released by the American Petroleum Institute (API). The poll was reported in a news release from the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association (NMOGA) citing nearly two-thirds of the state’s voters would be more likely to vote for candidates …

(AP) —  Schlumberger is cutting more than 21,000 jobs as the global coronavirus pandemic quashes demand for energy and oil prices are routed. The company will pay more than $1 billion in severance benefits. The job cuts announced Friday, about a quarter of its entire workforce, puts the number of people employed by the world’s largest oilfield services company close …

Chevron Corp. expects to close on a $5 billion deal to acquire Noble Energy, Inc. by the end of this year. In the largest oil and gas deal since the coronavirus pandemic hit in March and the oil price crashed below zero in April, Chevron officials announced Monday the company has entered into a definitive agreement with Noble to acquire …

Two Lovington firefighters bring something new to Lovington, a collectibles and hobby shop. Tall Tales Gaming is in the center of downtown Lovington, on Main Street, across from the courthouse, and is providing a place where people can play games, eat, and build friendships, according to the store’s mission statement. “Tall Tales Gaming is a unique venture consisting of all …

LONDON (AP) — Energy producer Royal Dutch Shell warned Tuesday it will slash the value of its assets by $22 billion to account for lower oil and gas prices amid the COVID-19 pandemic. With the virus outbreak hurting the long-term prospects of the global economy, the company said it continues “to adapt to ensure the business remains resilient” in challenging …

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 members of Congress and state officials 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, one …

LONDON (AP) — Oil and gas company BP announced Monday that it will slash its global workforce by 10,000 jobs as the COVID-19 pandemic slams the energy industry. Chief Executive Bernard Looney said that the cuts will affect office-based roles in BP’s global workforce of 70,000 people and come mostly this year. The changes are expected to significantly affect senior …

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — OPEC and allied nations agreed Saturday to extend a production cut of nearly 10 million barrels of oil a day through the end of July, hoping to encourage stability in energy markets hard hit by the coronavirus-induced global economic crisis. Ministers of the cartel and outside nations led by Russia met via video conference …

Google says it will no longer build custom artificial intelligence tools for speeding up oil and gas extraction, separating itself from cloud computing rivals Microsoft and Amazon. A statement from the company Tuesday followed a Greenpeace report that documents how the three tech giants are using AI and computing power to help oil companies find and access oil and gas …