Free Republic

To say times are tough for energy companies in the San Juan Basin would be an understatement. The market for natural gas is so bad right now that T. Greg Merrion has shut in nearly half of his family-owned company’s wells, most located in northwestern New Mexico. But that could soon change. If Merrion and key industry analysts are correct, there might be a silver lining in the oil crash caused by the coronavirus pandemic — it could end up helping northwestern New Mexico natural gas producers and even give a lift to state revenue in a time of crisis.

A recent influx of dynamic, new oil and gas operators are bringing innovative applications of modern technology to restore the San Juan Basin to its place as a leading basin in the United States

At least 2,000 jobs will likely be lost in New Mexico’s oil and gas industry in the coming months because of sharp declines in the price of crude oil, according to estimates by the New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department.

Ranchers, Navajo Nation chapters and environmental groups on Wednesday sued federal land managers over a plan that would allow almost 10,000 new oil and gas wells in northwest New Mexico. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management last fall approved a plan to guide the use of more than 1.4 million acres in the Farmington area over the next 20 years. The plan covers the San Juan Basin, where there are 18,000 operating oil and gas wells. The basin, which is mostly in New Mexico, currently produces 10 percent of the nation's natural gas. In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District...