As I approach Midland, Texas from the southeast the rolling hills give way to large, engine-revving trucks, their menacing grills reflecting the setting sun into my rearview mirror. The asphalt beneath my white Toyota Corolla seems to be melting into the petroleum-laden ground from which it had emerged: Not even the road was prepared for the heavy vehicles that showed up with the recent oil and gas boom.
Read the rest of story, first in a four part series originally published by GOOD: Link to PDF
Just got back from Odess, and leme tell ya, the O&G boom in West TX is huge right now. Almost 300 rigs in the TX RRC Districts 8 & 8A alone.