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Houston • The number of rigs exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. rose by 8 this week to 847. A year ago, 440 rigs were active.
Utah's rig count was unchanged.
Houston oilfield services company Baker Hughes Inc. said Thursday that 683 rigs sought oil and 162 explored for natural gas this week. Two were listed as miscellaneous.
New Mexico added seven rigs, Oklahoma gained three, Texas increased by two, and California, North Dakota and Ohio each gained one.
Mississippi fell by three rigs, and Alaska and Louisiana each lost two.
Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Pennsylvania, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming were all unchanged.
The U.S. rig count peaked at 4,530 in 1981. It bottomed out last May at 404.