North Dakota saw the number of rigs actively exploring for or producing oil and gas increase by more than 10 percent from last week, state data show. Data from the state government show 28 rigs in service early Tuesday, up 16 percent from last week . The increase follows a slow march toward $50 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark for the price of crude oil. WTI is up about 4 percent from last week. Crude oil prices are still about 50 percent lower than they were two years ago, leaving energy companies with less capital to invest in exploration and production. Oil services company Baker Hughes reported no change last week in the total U.S. […]