LOVINGTON — Over the top in December and January. “Lea County is now officially the No. 1 oil and gas producer in the U.S.,” said County Chairwoman Rebecca Long on Thursday. “We have the final numbers in for December and January, both.” With the latest data available, County Finance Director Chip Low said earlier this month the numbers for December …

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Thursday it is seeking $3 billion from Congress to top up the country’s strategic petroleum reserves, potentially propping up U.S. oil producers after crude prices crashed globally. President Donald Trump had directed the Energy Department last week to fill the United States’ emergency stash of crude oil to the top, over objections from …

HOUSTON (AP) — Halliburton will institute a mandatory furlough for 3,500 employees in Houston beginning next week amid falling oil prices. The furlough will begin Monday and will last up to 60 days, company spokeswoman Emily Mir said Wednesday. During the furlough, affected employees will work one week on followed by one week off, the Houston-based company said. Employees will …

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — A clash of the oil titans – Saudi Arabia and Russia – is sending shock waves through energy markets, with wide-ranging implications for consumers and oil companies, including those in the No. 1 producing country, the United States. In the short term, oil prices fell by the most in one day since the 1991 Gulf War. …

NEW YORK (AP) — Oil prices are plunging as a dispute among producers could lead a global economy weakened by COVID-19 to be awash in an oversupply of crude. Brent crude, the international standard, lost $9.50, or 20.1%, to $35.77 per barrel, as of 7:58 p.m. Eastern time on Sunday after earlier touching its lowest price since 2016. Benchmark U.S. …

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Oil and natural gas royalty payments for development on state trust lands netted nearly $109 million for New Mexico in one month. Land Commissioner Stephanie Garcia Richard announced the record revenues Friday, saying the State Land Office is on track to raise another $1 billion this year for public schools, hospitals and other beneficiaries. Much …

NEW YORK (AP) — Exxon Mobil said Thursday it plans to reduce the number of oil rigs operating in an oil-rich region in the Southwest and may cut planned capital expenditures as the spreading coronavirus saps energy demand. The price of a barrel of oil has fallen more than 25% since the start of the year, and 8% in the …

Home town Air Force Master Sergeant Gabrial Valenzuela asked for Hobbs’ support in making it to the top of Spark Tank, the Air Force version of Shark Tank. Valenzuela was born and raised in Hobbs before joining the Air Force in 2004, and going to Germany seven years ago. Spark Tank is something the Air Force put together three years …

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A blaze inside a Louisiana refinery that turned the night sky a shade of orange and sent a large plume of smoke into the air over Baton Rouge has been extinguished, ExxonMobil officials say. The fire erupted at the facility in Baton Rouge around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Curt Monte told …

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A blaze inside a Louisiana refinery that turned the night sky a shade of orange and sent a large plume of smoke into the air over Baton Rouge has been extinguished, ExxonMobil officials say. The fire erupted at the facility in Baton Rouge around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday, Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesman Curt Monte told …