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Methane gas is flared just off U.S. Route 285 near Carlsbad, New Mexico, on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Methane gas is flared just off U.S. Route 285 near Carlsbad, New Mexico, on Tuesday, Aug. 6.

Photographer: Steven St. John/Bloomberg

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Climate changed

The Permian Boom Collides With a Governor's Climate-Change Push

New Mexico’s Lujan Grisham pushes an ambitious pro-environment agenda for an industry whose receipts dominate the state budget

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Diana Cerny has an oil boom to thank for the packed tables at her restaurant in Carlsbad, New Mexico.

Gushing shale production has brought boot-clad workers from all over the world to this Permian Basin city less than an hour north of the Texas border. White F-150s filled the parking lot of the Pecos River Cafe on a recent morning after a light rain lifted the smell of concrete cooked by days of triple-digit heat.

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