Preliminary data from a Texas energy regulator show crude oil production in the No. 1 producer in the nation is down for the second straight month. Data from the Texas Railroad Commission show a full-month preliminary estimate for September at 83,326,908 barrels, down about 8.3 percent from the previous month and the second straight month for a decline. Year-on-year, however, the daily production rate of 2.4 million barrels is 10 percent higher than for September 2014. The U.S. oil sector is faltering under the strain of the long slump in crude oil prices, which are down about 45 percent from this time last year. Texas, however, has shown some resiliency during the downturn, with federal reports […]