Two large Texas oil producers are joining forces in a deal valued at $26 billion, the latest in a wave of consolidation in the U.S. energy industry. Diamondback Energy and Endeavor Energy Resources, both major players in the booming Permian Basin oil field that straddles New Mexico and Texas, announced on Monday that they would merge in a cash-and-stock deal, with Diamondback’s shareholders owning about 60 percent of the combined company. The Permian Basin was once seen as a worn-out patch. The basin has been transformed into the most productive oil and gas field in the United States. “With this combination, Diamondback not only gets bigger, it gets better,” Travis Stice, the company’s chief executive, said in a statement.

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Persons: ” Travis Stice, Diamondback’s Organizations: Diamondback Energy, Endeavor Energy Resources Locations: Texas, U.S, New Mexico, United States