The number of high-priority oil and natural gas wells on federal and tribal land in New Mexico has nearly doubled in recent years, and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management is racing to keep up with inspections.
Agency officials say they have nearly 650 wells in New Mexico that are considered high priorities due to production levels, contamination risks and other reasons.
They say they're on track to have them all inspected by September thanks to the creation of a special strike team.
This marks the first year for the strike team, and officials say similar measures will likely be used in the future as southeastern New Mexico's oilfields continue to boom.
There are currently 428 high-priority wells in the Carlsbad area and over 80 percent have been inspected.
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