(Corrects gas rig move in second paragraph.) Rigs targeting oil and natural gas in the U.S. increased by four this week to 1,742, according to Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI) Oil rigs rose by 19 to 1,376, data posted on the company’s website show. The gas count fell 16 to 360, the Houston-based field services company said. Miscellaneous rigs rose one to six. The total count gained for the second time in seven weeks. Rigs have fallen from 1,800 a year earlier as producers use new technologies to shorten well-boring time and boost productivity in shale formations. The improvements have driven crude output to the most in two decades, helping the U.S. meet 86 percent of its energy needs in the first seven months of 2013, on pace to be the highest annual rate since 1986. “Technological advances have led the way to the widespread use of new oil and […]