News by Date: January 2019

“How Screwed Are You” If You Don’t Work In Oil In The Permian Basin? It Depends.

Mitch Borden | Marfa Public Radio | January 31, 2019

It doesn’t take much to see the Permian Basin’s economy is doing pretty well right now. Just look at Midland and Odessa, the two cities’ unemployment rate is around two percent, wages are high and property values are rising. It won’t be a surprise to anyone the reason for...

Apache Corp. Creates Endowment for Iconic West Texas State Park

Sergio Chapa | Houston Chronicle | January 24, 2019

Houston oil company Apache Corp. has doubled a gift to help save a revered West Texas swimming hole. In addition to donating $1 million to repair the shuttered Balmorhea State Park Pool, the company has donated an additional $1 million to create an endowment to preserve and support the iconic West...

Activists and Researchers are Working to Keep Tabs on Oil and Gas Emissions Near Balmorhea

Mitch Borden | The Texas Standard | January 15, 2019

“Fixing this problem is easy. You do what the prior administration had a suggested. Mainly you look for where the biggest leaks are and you fix those.” Read or listen to this story...

Oil vs. Astronomy: The Race to Protect the Night Sky in West Texas

Jeff Mosier | Dallas News | January 6, 2019

West Texas is famed worldwide for its vast crude oil reserves. But for over 75 years, a small patch of the Permian Basin has also been valued for its pitch-black night sky. Those two prized natural resources have clashed in recent years as oil drilling has brightened the sky near McDonald...

How an Oil Boom in West Texas is Reshaping the World

Justin Worland | Time | January 3, 2019

My view from the window seat of a small regional jet landing in Midland, Texas, is either a testament to the advances of human civilization or a sign of its impending demise, depending on your perspective. Countless oil wells, identified by their glowing red flames, dot the dark landscape. We are...

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