ConocoPhillips cuts capital spending plans for 2015 to reflect lower prices for crude oil. Photo by Calin Tatu/Shutterstock HOUSTON, Dec. 9 (UPI) — U.S. energy company ConocoPhillips said it was trimming its capital spending program for 2015, with funding targeting U.S. shale basins down 20 percent. “The reduction in capital relative to 2014 primarily reflects lower spending on major projects, several of which are nearing completion, as well as the deferral of spending on North American unconventional plays,” the company said. Conoco said it was cutting its capital budget for 2015 to $13.5 billion, a decline of about 20 percent from the level for this year. Several so-called supermajors have trimmed their spending programs because crude oil prices have shed about 30 percent of their value since June. The price for West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. crude oil benchmark, is at a point where some drillers might not generate […]