Fuel thefts are up across the Permian Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, where thousands of barrels are being stolen weekly and laundered into local markets or smuggled across the border, as reported by Bloomberg.
Law enforcement and industry officials warn that, at the same time crude becomes more valuable, thefts are becoming more frequent and costly, posing growing economic and security challenges for producers and local communities in the region.
In January of 2026, Congressman Tony Gonzales (TX-23) held a roundtable with West Texas law enforcement, industry leaders, and lawmakers to address rising oil theft in the Permian Basin. He introduced the Protect the Permian Act, which increases criminal penalties for stealing oil or equipment, formally establishes an FBI-led task force, and expands federal resources to combat oilfield crime.
Gonzales emphasized that protecting Texas’s energy infrastructure is critical to national and global security, citing billions lost to theft and the black-market sale of stolen assets.
