Small US towns see new reward in old production technique untouched by slump

New Mexico

AMID the frenetic activity of American shale oil fields recovering from a two-year recession sit a handful of oil towns that seemed impervious as many producers went into bankruptcy and the economy around them sank.

Occidental Petroleum Corp and a few other oil producers with wells near this town on New Mexico's border with Texas steadily pumped low-cost oil through the downturn, using a technique that has been heralded worldwide as a way to reduce carbon emissions and boost oil output.