An oil well owned an operated by Apache Corporation in the Permian Basin are viewed on February 5, 2015 in Garden City, Texas. The well produces about 55-70 barrels of oil per day. As crude oil prices have fallen nearly 60 percent globally, many American communities that became dependent on oil revenue are preparing for hard times. Texas, which benefited from hydraulic fracturing and the shale drilling revolution, tripled its production of oil in the last five years. The Texan economy saw hundreds of billions of dollars come into the state before the global plunge in prices. Across the state drilling budgets are being slashed and companies are notifying workers of upcoming layoffs. According to federal labor statistics, around 300,000 people work in the Texas oil and gas industry, 50 percent more than four years ago. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
With oil prices now at a six year low, oil companies have been idling hundreds of drilling rigs. For the wells that remain active, the key is getting more out of less. From the Here & Now Contributors Network, Leigh Paterson of Inside Energy reports on how these producers are using new technologies to chase oil thousands of feet below the earth’s surface
Leigh Paterson, reporter for Inside Energy, a collaborative journalism initiative among public media with roots in Colorado, Wyoming and North Dakota. She tweets @Sclaterpee.
