Alva Review-Courier -

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — As New Mexico's oil and gas industry struggles with lower prices and slowing production brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, some members of Congress and state officials are urging the U.S. Interior Department to allow operators to temporarily plugs wells until prices stabilize.

U.S. Rep. Xochitl Torres Small's district includes part of the Permian Basin, one of the most prolific production areas in the U.S. The New Mexico Democrat is among those who have asked for more federal money to plug abandoned wells on state and tribal land.

"The consequences have been devas...