Oil, gas drillers idle 10 rigs; 757 active

HOUSTON -- Oil-field services company Baker Hughes Inc. said the number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. this week declined by 10 to 757.

The number of operating drilling rigs in Arkansas was unchanged at four, down from 12 a year ago.

Houston's Baker Hughes said Friday that 564 rigs were seeking oil and 193 explored for natural gas. A year ago, with oil prices almost double the prices now, 1,929 rigs were active.

Among major oil- and gas-producing states, Louisiana and Oklahoma each lost four rigs; Colorado and Wyoming each declined by three; West Virginia lost two; and Ohio declined by one.

Texas gained four rigs, Pennsylvania gained two and North Dakota increased by one.

Alaska, California, Kansas, New Mexico and Utah were unchanged.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.

Business on 11/21/2015

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