Interior Department rule aims to crack down on methane leaks from oil, gas on public lands By MATTHEW DALY Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration issued a final rule Wednesday aimed at curbing methane leaks from oil and gas drilling on federal and tribal lands, its latest action to crack down on emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas …

Report: Permian Basin contributes $181.8 billion in GDP, 786,000 jobs to U.S. economy Economic impact report highlights the growing importance of the Permian Basin For the News-Sun MIDLAND, Texas — The Permian Basin’s economic impact continues to gain momentum, bringing promising news for Texas, New Mexico and the entire nation. According to the latest report by the Permian Strategic Partnership, the …

Protest derails planned celebration of 20-year ban on oil drilling near Chaco national park By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It was supposed to be a homecoming of sorts for U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, after her agency spent many months hosting public meetings and talking with Native American leaders about curbing the pace of oil …

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — More than 200 inactive oil and natural gas wells in New Mexico have been plugged as land managers have tried to crack down on producers as part of an accountability and enforcement program in one of the top producing states in the U.S., officials said Wednesday. The State Land Office estimates it has saved taxpayers at …

By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer A new National Academy of Science study says that 13 years after a massive BP oil spill fouled the Gulf of Mexico, regulators and industry have reduced some risks in deep water exploration in the gulf but some troublesome safety issues persist. Tuesday’s report says that federal inspectors are relatively powerless over contractors on …

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Thursday approved a sprawling energy package that seeks to undo virtually all of President Joe Biden’s agenda to address climate change. The legislation would sharply increase domestic production of oil, natural gas and coal, and ease permitting restrictions that delay pipelines, refineries and other projects. It would boost production …

By MATTHEW DALY Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — In a sign of a deepening rift among Democrats on energy issues, conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin says he will not move forward on President Joe Biden’s nominee to oversee oil and gas leasing at the Interior Department. Manchin, of West Virginia, chairs the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and has …

CURTIS C. WYNNE/NEWS-SUN Keeping the No. 1 spot among the nation’s counties, Lea County hit the record books again, logging almost 32 million barrels of crude oil in October.  That’s a little more than a million barrels a day. With a lion’s share of county revenue coming from the oil and gas industry, County Finance Director Chip Low tracks the …

Curtis Wynne/News-Sun After almost three years, Lea County still leads all other counties in the nation with active oil rigs, surpassed only by two whole states — New Mexico and Texas. Adding six rigs in the week before Sept. 23, according to data published by oil field services company Baker Hughes, Lea County had a total of 71 active rigs, …

Andy Brosig/News-Sun Energy production is big business in New Mexico. That was the word from Greg Bloom, assistant commissioner for mineral resources from the New Mexico State Land Office, speaking Wednesday before the state legislature’s Economic Development and Policy Interim Committee on the CTECH campus in Hobbs. “I don’t want to bury the big news,” Bloom said right at the …