Adrian Hedden
Artesia Daily Press
achedden@currentargus.com

No property damage of injuries were reported by officials in the earthquake that shook Carlsbad and Artesia this week, but it rattled area residents who felt it.

Reports began pouring into the U.S. Geological Survey’s website within minutes after the quake, which occurred about 2 p.m. Monday in northern Eddy County. The Survey logged 135 responses from as far east as Eunice and as far west as Cloudcroft.

The epicenter, or focus point, of the magnitude 4.3 tremblor, the Geological Survey reported, was about 9 miles south of Atoka, a rural community of 1,200 residents 30 miles north of Carlsbad and 5 miles south of Artesia along U.S. Highway 285.

Magnitude 4.3 seismic events are considered moderate earthquakes, often felt at the earth’s surface and known to cause minor damage, according to a report from Michigan Technological University. There are about 500,000 quakes ranging in magnitude from 2.5 to 5.4 in the U.S. each year, the report read, with quakes in the lower range rarely felt at the surface while those of magnitude 5.5 or higher can cause serious structural damage and pose danger of injury to people in the affected area.

No reports of injuries or damage were received by Eddy County Emergency Management following Monday’s earthquake.

Damage or not, the quake was the largest of the 158 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or higher reported in the Permian Basin so far this year, according to the Geological Survey, and those who felt it quickly spread the word on social media.

“Just felt another earthquake over in the Hidalgo area. This shook my house and furniture,” wrote Facebook user Tracey Barwick in the page Neighborhood Watch And 411 Of Eddy County And Surrounding Areas.

“That was a big one,” commented user Gregg Davidson on the page What’s the 411 Carlsbad.

“Did everyone felt that earthquake?” Edgar Pinky Ray asked in the Facebook group Everything Artesia, prompting 15 comments in 52 minutes with commenters noting the shaking could be felt in Roswell.

Earthquakes in the Permian Basin region of New Mexico have declined the past few years following a significant increase in 2022 that geologists attributed to activities associated with oil and gas production, specifically the disposal of oilfield wastewater via injection wells.

The Permian Basin reached an all-time high of 5.51 million barrels of oil production per day in 2022, according to the Energy Information Administration, and 2,436 earthquakes of M 2 or higher were recorded by the Geological Survey that year between New Mexico and West Texas, which share the Permian Basin – the nation’s busiest oilfield.

That’s compared to 1,805 quakes M 2 or higher quakes the year before in the same region, and 2,348 events in 2023, 1,860 in 2024 and 1,608 in 2025.

The gradual decline in quakes followed the enactment of a series of state regulations by New Mexico’s Oil Conservation Division in 2021, calling for curtailing wastewater injection based on the proximity to and magnitude of a seismic event.

Whenever two M 2.5 quakes occur within 30 days, the OCD required weekly reporting of injection volumes at sites within 10 miles of the events.

After an M 3 event, injection rates must reduce by 50% within 0 to 3 miles of the epicenter, and by 25% within 3 to 6 miles.

If an M 3.5 event occurs, wells up to 3 miles away are shut down, and volumes are curbed by 50% within 3 to 6 miles and 25% percent within 6 to 10 miles from the epicenter.

Managing Editor Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, or @AdrianHedden on the social media platform X.

Photos and story by Moriah Lovato
For the Artesia Daily Press

Fiscal responsibility, education and public involvement could provide a path to better representation for southeast New Mexico in Santa Fe, said three Republican candidates for New Mexico House District 66.

LeAnne Gandy, Dan Lewis and Trinidad Malone each seek to fill the District 66 New Mexico House seat set to be vacated by Rep. Jimmy Mason who opted not to seek another term.

Mason’s current term ends on Jan. 1, 2027, and his replacement will be chose in this year’s June 2 Republican Primary Election.

No Democrat announced a bid for the seat. District 66 represents portions of Eddy, Lea and Chaves counties, including the northern part of Eddy County at the city of Artesia.

The three candidates took part in a public forum hosted Thursday, April 2 at the Artesia Chamber of Commerce to discuss how they would serve the seat if elected.

‘Better outcomes’

Each candidate said they approached the dilemma of representing constituents as the minority party using tools built from backgrounds in education, accounting, and military service, respectively.

Gandy, first to the podium, called education her “life’s work.” Through 36 years of experience to date in roles ranging from an entry- level secretary position to an 11-year stint as superintendent, Gandy said she built a well-rounded understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of education in New Mexico as well as a planned path to solving the state’s chronically poor nationwide ranking.

In her current capacity as Leadership Director for Cooperative Educational Services, Gandy has presented to various state committees advocating for “days not hours” of teacher collaboration and development.

“You want better outcomes for kids, lets help our teachers understand more effective methods,” she said.

She added that she “believes Southeastern New Mexico needs a strong voice in Santa Fe and I believe I am that voice. I’m made from tough stuff and I can do hard things. I will not be the loudest voice but I will be the most persuasive and strategic.”

Economics of governing

Lewis highlighted his ability to stand for fiscal responsibility as a career accountant in the oil and gas and agricultural industries, reaching a CFO position for Yates Petroleum and navigating deals as large as the merger of the Artesia-based company with national corporation EOG.

Lewis said he works with a variety of people at his job “from investment bankers to ranch hands,” and said he is skilled in ensuring all parties receive the tools and resources necessary while following a responsible budget.

Lewis passionately thanked experience as a football referee for bolstering his ability to “make good decisions and remain calm when others are amped up” sharing anecdotes from officiating high-stakes Division 1 college football games.

He said “he can explain economic benefits and detriments” to Santa Fe lawmakers and effectively stand up for the needs of District 66 constituents with respect for positive economic outcomes across the state.

‘Willing to step up’

Trinidad Malone spoke of campaigning as an opportunity to lead his generation by example, stating “if we want to be effective and have our voices heard we need to be willing to step up.”

Malone said he was shaped by his years as a veteran who deployed to Afghanistan, and a national guardsman volunteer appointed to hurricane relief work.

He’s also been a businessman with 14 years of experience in the oil and gas industry, and said he is “striving to do something great” in his run for office.

Malone currently serves on the Artesia Planning and Zoning Committee and is involved with two non-profit organizations, including the Pena Project, a “New Mexico based, non-profit dedicated to helping families ease the burden of unforeseen end-of-life expenses.”

Mason said all three candidates were worthy successors.

“I am proud to have three citizens of this district willing to step up to the plate,” Mason said. “When you get elected you are no longer a Republican candidate, but a representative of all constituents of the district.”

He advised candidates to “stand firm at the beginning. On most issues- you pick your battles. On moral issues, you stand your ground.”

Moriah Lovato
For the Artesia Daily Press

Jeff Youtsey said he planned to keep Artesia “moving forward” as its new mayor.

Youtsey was elected to post in the March 3 election, defeating Terry Todd in a slim 798-778 margin.

He and the elected city councilors were sworn into office in a ceremony on April 1 at the Artesia Senior Center.

At the event, Youtsey and the councilors swore to uphold the constitution before Artesia Municipal Judge Sarah Gallegos.

Youtsey solemnly repeated the pledge with his left hand placed on a Bible held by his daughter, Chelsea Bilberry.

Directly following the ceremony, Youtsey thanked those in attendance and conveyed a hope that under his guidance the City of Artesia might flourish. Youtsey said the campaign process was “an arduous means to an end, after which the real work can now begin.”

In reflecting on his family’s long history in Artesia, Youtsey said said his great grandpa came to Artesia on horseback in 1913.

“My family in one way or another truly has helped lay the foundation for this town from a very early time. Not just the bricks and mortar but the morals that we have, the traditions that we share,” Youtsey said. “A lot of you could say the same about your families. There’s value in that. This mayor and this council will work to preserve those traditions, keep Artesia moving forward in a way that makes us all proud.”

Youtsey ask the crowd of local residents to keep him and his councilmen accountable stating his goal is to “look back in four years and the things I told you I was gonna do – I wanna say that I did those things.”

Also sworn in were Also sworn in were returning District 1 City Councilor Raul Rodriguez and District 4 Councilor Michael Blunt, who both ran unopposed.

Joseph Wright was also sworn in as District 2 City Councilor to replace George Mullen, who opted not to run for reelection. Wright defeated Nathan Ryno, 144 to 50 votes.

District 3 City Councilor Allen Kent Bratcher, 68, retook his seat after being reelected over write-in candidate Matteo Doporto, 372 to 99.