New Permian Strategic Partnership Report Highlights Increases in Infrastructure Funding Would Result in Fewer Motor Vehicle Fatalities in the Permian and Delaware Basin

This week the Permian Strategic Partnership (PSP) released a report detailing the massive economic impact the oil and gas industry has and will continue to have on the national economy and also the regional economies of the Permian Basin in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico. The report goes on the focus on the huge job creation and economic opportunities powered by the oil and gas industry.

As anyone who has lived in the Permian Basin knows, while the increase in oilfield production is a great economic boost to local communities, it also brings increased motor vehicle crashes, accidents, trucking accidents, serious injuries, and even fatalities or wrongful deaths due to the heavy traffic created by vehicles associated with oil and gas production. In addition, the increase in oilfield production often occurs in rural areas with limited infrastructure and older roads and highways. The abundance of frac trucks, tractor-trailers, welding trucks, water trucks, 18 wheelers, and other company pickup trucks unfortunately leads to an increase in motor vehicle accidents, crashes, and sometime highway deaths. This is how Highway 285 received the nickname the “Death Highway.”

However, the PSP report specifically focused on this issue and called to light the need for increased infrastructure funding. According to their report, the PSP aims to increase infrastructure funding in the Permian Basin by $1 billion, and the PSP estimates that this funding would result in up to 4,500 fewer fatalities and injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents and crashes in the oilfield.

As the report notes, a lot of great work has been performed to address some of the negative impacts on local communities caused by expansion in oilfield production in the counties of Lea and Eddy in New Mexico, and Reeves, Winkler, and Pecos in West Texas. However, serious crashes and trucking accidents remain a huge concern for the Permian Basin. If you or a loved one was injured or killed in a crash or accident in the Permian or Delaware Basin, you may have an insurance claim, uninsured motorists coverage claim, or a lawsuit to collect compensation for pain and suffering, lost wages, wrongful death, or other personal injury damages under the laws of New Mexico, Texas, and the Federal courts.

Stout & Stout Lawyers have served the Permian Basin and West Texas and Southeast New Mexico for over 70 years and have extensive experience representing victims of trucking accidents and motor vehicle crashes in the rural areas serving the oil and gas industry. For a free consultation and to discuss your potential case, contact Stout & Stout Lawyers today.

For more information on the great work done by the PSP in West Texas and Southeast New Mexico, please visit their website.