Thanks to technologies like hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, New Mexico is one of the top natural gas producers in the world – 27 th according to the latest annual numbers from 2012 just released by the American Petroleum Institute. But there’s more to the economics of drilling than just counting rigs and tallying profits. Heading into Farmington, New Mexico, the highway is packed with tanker trucks and muddy pickups with fluttery orange flags. It also offers a roadside lesson in the jobs oil and gas brings: Air and swabbing services, oil tools, and trucking and well service companies. Then there are the indirect jobs. For almost two decades, John Silva has owned Three Rivers Eatery and Brewhouse. With 65 employees, he’s downtown’s largest employer. Farmington’s a blue collar town, Silva says. Mining and drilling are important. “It's a love-hate thing,” he says “We want to help the environment, but it is also a major player in our economy.” Earlier this year, companies