U.S. Rig Count Up By 2 This Week

The number of rigs searching for oil and natural gas in the U.S. rose by two this week to 1,685, according to oil services firm Baker Hughes BHI. Baker Hughes said earlier today that 955 rigs were exploring for natural gas and 720 for oil. A year ago, the rig count checked in at 1,101 rigs. Of the major oil- and gas-producing states, Texas gained 12 rigs, Pennsylvania gained three and Alaska gained one. Louisiana and West Virginia each lost four rigs, New Mexico and Oklahoma each lost two and Arkansas, California and North Dakota each lost one, according to the Associated Press. Colorado and Wyoming saw their rig counts unchanged.