New at Searchlight New Mexico, published in collaboration with the AP: Fossil fuel revenues bankroll education spending in New Mexico, but schools exposed to industry pollution face environmental risks that can affect children’s health and performance. Natural gas use has led to cleaner air for much of the country, and has brought huge amounts of money to the New Mexico state budget. But students whose schools sit near gas wells are paying a price for those gains. (fb)

New Mexico is the second-highest oil-producing state in the U.S., after Texas and ahead of North Dakota. The bulk of oil extraction occurs in a boomtown region known as the Permian Basin, which spans more than 85,000 square miles across eastern New Mexico and west Texas. New Mexico's state government relies on the oil and gas industry for close to half its revenue. But the people who generate this income — the workers in the fields, many of whom are Latino — endure brutal conditions and receive no recognition. They often work long, sleepless shifts around deadly chemicals and dangerous machinery. Because the surrounding region and the state are economically dependent on what they produce, there’s a culture of silence around the industry’s labor practices. This is a story about the emotional and physical toll the industry — and our shared dependence on oil — takes on the workers. (fb)