Oil & Gas

New Mexico is a leading producer of crude oil and natural gas.

Extracting oil and gas in San Juan County

Oil and gas extraction and production (refineries, cracking plants, pipeline leaks) account for 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions even before final uses.

  • The San Juan Basin contains the largest US fields of natural gas.
  • The Permian basin holds three of our nations largest 100 oil fields – the largest in the intermountain west.
  • New Mexico also extracts and produces carbon dioxide at the Bravo Dome area.

Thirty-one percent of the electricity generated in New Mexico comes from natural gas. Two-thirds of our homes use natural gas for heating. About 20-25% of the state’s General Fund comes from oil and gas revenues, replacing income taxes.

Ecoflight over Navajoland

See the Effects

Explore the effects of New Mexico’s fossil fuel dependency in Google Earth.