05/22/2025
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.
New Mexico is the second-largest oil producer in the U.S., behind Texas. Drawing immense wealth from the Permian Basin, the state relies on a workforce — often Latino men — who are subjected to harrowing conditions that lead to death, injury, disease and terrible tolls on mental health and famil...
