U.S. oil drillers pulled rigs this week as crude traded below $60 a barrel for the seventh straight day. Rigs targeting oil declined by 10 to a six-month low of 1,536, Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) said on its website today. Those seeking out natural gas slipped by eight to 338, the Houston-based field services company’s website. The total count fell by 18 to 1,875, the lowest level since July. The number of rigs targeting U.S. oil has slid from a record 1,609 as drillers retrench in response to escalating competition from the world’s largest suppliers that’s sent international oil prices plummeting by more than $50 a barrel. Another 800 rigs are at risk of being idled should prices remain where they are, suspending an unprecedented boom in domestic production that’s brought the nation closer to energy independence than it’s been in three decades. The mindset of U.S. energy explorers […]