Rigs working in the Barnett Shale kept declining this week, dropping by two to 27, the lowest in at least 10 years as producers continue to migrate toward fields with more profitable crude oil.
Even Wise County, which has led the Barnett in drilling for years since natural gas prices dropped sharply, tapered off, with seven active rigs compared with 11 a week ago, according to RigData. Montague County, which like Wise has areas rich in oil and natural gas liquids, had four rigs, as did Denton and Tarrant counties.Nationally, the rig count slipped by one to 1,761, even though rigs seeking gas rose by seven to 428, said Baker Hughes of Houston. Rigs seeking oil were down eight to 1,329. Four were listed as miscellaneous.A year ago, Baker Hughes counted 1,981 working rigs.-- Jim FuquayHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
