HOUSTON (AP) – Oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. says the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. declined by nine this week to 859.
Houston-based Baker Hughes said Friday 635 rigs were seeking oil and 221 explored for natural gas. Three were listed as miscellaneous. A year ago, with oil prices nearly double the current levels, 1,854 rigs were active.
Among major oil- and gas-producing states, Alaska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Ohio, Texas, Utah and West Virginia each declined by one rig.
Louisiana and Oklahoma both gained one rig apiece.
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Arkansas, California, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and Wyoming were unchanged.
The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999