The US added three active oil and gas rigs last week, even though U.S. oil prices have slid to about $45 per barrel.
Rig counts typically lag changes in oil pricing by a few months.
The rig count rose to 1,083 nationwide, according to the energy services firm Baker Hughes, a GE company.
Texas added one rig, bringing its total to 532, representing a little under half of the nation’s total. Alaska added two rigs bringing its total to seven, and Louisiana added one, bringing it to 67. Ohio added one. Oklahoma and Wyoming each lost one.
Of the 1,083 rigs in the U.S., 855 drill primarily for oil.
Oil prices are down more than 40 percent since their recent peak of $76.41 in October.
This article first appeared on the Houston Chronicle – an Energy Voice content partner. For more from the Houston Chronicle click here.
