U.S. rig count declines by 4 this week to 771

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Houston • The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. this week declined by four to 771, oilfield services company Baker Hughes said Friday.

The company's weekly report showed that 572 rigs were seeking oil and 199 explored for natural gas. A year ago, with oil prices about double the prices now, 1,925 rigs were active.

Among major oil- and gas-producing states, New Mexico lost five rigs, California and Wyoming two, and Louisiana and Oklahoma one apiece.

Colorado gained three rigs while Kansas, North Dakota and Texas each increased by one.

Utah was unchanged, along with Alaska, Arkansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981 and bottomed at 488 in 1999.