Business

AMARILLO – Xcel Energy is increasing its wildfire detection and mitigation efforts in the Texas Panhandle by introducing artificial intelligence to spot fires early. We are partnering with Pano AI to install more than 50 camera stations across the region. Carson, Gray, Roberts, Hutchinson, Wheeler, Hemphill, Garza, Cochran, Moore, Potter and Yoakum counties are currently being considered. First responders and firefighters will have immediate access to this data, shortening response times.

Intents to Drill

LIPSCOMB (LIPSCOMB, Cleveland) Duncan Oil Properties, Inc., #3637HX Booth G, (1555.5 acres) 340’ FNL & 1150’ FWL, Sec 596, Blk 43, H&TC RR Surv, A-891, 5 mi W from Lipscomb TX TD 7833’, (BHL: 2582’ FSL & 1050’ FWL Sec 684, Blk 43, H&TC Surv, A-812) (sgd. Christeina Gray 405-272-1849) Horizontal

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Intents to Drill

LIPSCOMB (LIPSCOMB, Cleveland) Mewbourne Oil Company, #C001PA Kelln-Landers 206/235 A, (968.6 acres) 2640’ FSL & 2640’ FWL, Sec 206, Blk 43, H&TC RR Surv, A-1183, 15 mi NW from Canadian TX TD 8248’, (BHL: 100’ FNL & 900’ FEL Sec 235, Blk 43, H&TC Surv, A-118) (sgd. Jana Cates 806-352-7520, x1625) Horizontal

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Intents to Drill

ROBERTS (ST. CLAIR, Granite Wash, WILDCAT) Valpoint Operating, LLC, #2 Rosie, (640.46 acres) 12681’ FNL & 2498’ FEL, Clay CSL Surv, A-50, 16 mi NW from Miami TX TD 10000’, (BHL: 13151’ FNL & 1936’ FEL, CLAY CSL Surv, A-50) (sgd. Rebecca Dunn 806-665-0338) Directional

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AMARILLO--The Xcel Energy Foundation announced today it is awarding $143,100 to 11 nonprofits in Texas and New Mexico to recognize their contributions in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Career Pathways, Environmental Sustainability and Community Vitality.

Every year on November 15th communities across the state gather to observe Texas Recycles Day.  Every day, small communities across the Panhandle work hard to recycle and divert waste from area landfills.  In fiscal year 2024, the communities across the region recycled more than 598 thousand pounds of material like cardboard, newspapers, office paper, plastics, tires, electronics, scrap metal, scrap tires, concrete and used motor oil. 

Intents to Drill

HARTLEY (REHM, Granite Wash) DDD Exploration, Inc., #5 Thompson E, (512 acres) 1524’ FNL & 1185’ FWL, Sec 54, Blk LE, Gunter & Munson Surv, A-337, 13.5 mi SW from Hartley (sgd. Rebecca Dunn 806-665-0338) Vertical

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CANYON, Texas — West Texas A&M University’s Great Books Series will continue in November with a short story about one of the region’s most valuable resources.

Dr. Ryan Brooks, associate professor English in WT’s Department of English, Philosophy and Modern Languages, will lead the discussion of Terese Svoboda’s “Ogallala Aquifer” from her 2019 collection “Great American Desert.”

Months before the Texas Panhandle erupted with destructive wildfires, fire crews in Borger were igniting fire intentionally on a seven-mile, roughly 250-foot wide ribbon of land on the edge of town.

The prescribed burn in November removed dense grass and brush next to homes on the southwest side of the town. When the Windy Deuce fire ravaged the region in February, the prescribed burn area acted as a fireproof wall that stopped the blaze in its tracks.

"The Rain We Keep” is a new multi-part series from Panhandle PBS documenting how life in our region will change if we do not alter our unsustainable draining of the Ogallala Aquifer. The series will premiere at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov 7.

The aquifer is our primary source of water on the Texas High Plains, and we’re draining that tank far faster than nature can refill it. By some estimates, our region and others could run out of groundwater by the end of this century.