By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, May 30 -- US drilling activity slipped below a 22-year high this week with 1,877 rotary rigs working, 12 less than the prior week but up from 1,774 units a year ago, said Baker Hughes Inc.
The decline was primarily in land drilling, down 11 to 1,788 active rigs. Inland waters activity dipped by 1 rig to 22. Offshore drilling increased by 1 rig to 65 in the Gulf of Mexico, but the total count in US waters was unchanged at 67.
Among the rigs still working, 1,479 were drilling for natural gas, 390 for oil, and 8 were unclassified. Directional drilling increased by 3 rigs to 388. Horizontal drilling declined by 11 to 533.
Texas registered the biggest decline among major oil producing states, down 14 rotary rigs to 921 drilling. Colorado dropped 9 to 110. New Mexico lost 2 to 74. California and Alaska were down 1 rig each to 43 and 6, respectively. Louisiana increased by 3 rigs to 152 working. Oklahoma added 1 for a total of 208. Wyoming was unchanged at 70.
Canada's rig count increased by 24 to 176, up from 136 a year ago.
