US drilling activity increased slightly, up 5 rotary rigs to 650 working this week, compared with 402 rigs working in the same period a year ago, according to Baker Hughes data.
The entire gain was in land drilling. Inland waters drilling was unchanged with 3 rigs working. Offshore rigs were unchanged with 12 rigs working, all in the Gulf of Mexico.
Texas had the biggest surge in drilling activity this week, up by 4 rigs to 312. New Mexico, Louisiana, and Kansas added 1 rig each for respective totals of 95, 54, and 1. Oklahoma was down 2 rigs to 51 units working.
Rig counts in nine states were unchanged, namely, North Dakota, 33; Pennsylvania, 25; Colorado, 14; Wyoming, 14; Ohio, 11; Utah, 12; West Virginia, 11; and Alaska, 8; and California, 7.
Canada's weekly rig count increased by 4 to 224 units, up 61 from the 163 units drilling a year ago.