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Thanks In Part To Fracking, Kansas Oil Production Rose 7 Percent In 2013

The Kansas Geological Survey says that Horizontal drilling helped boost oil production numbers slightly in Kansas last year, but natural gas continued its downward spiral.

Kansas oil production rose 7 percent to 46.8 million barrels last year, with most of that increase coming from the Mississippian limestone formation underneath southern and western Kansas. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, put new oil deposits in those areas within reach.

Geological Survey Geologist David Newell says while 334 wells were producing in the Mississippian limestone as of January, only 12 were producing in other Kansas formations.

Natural gas production fell 1.5 percent, from 299 billion cubic feet in 2012 to 295 billion cubic feet in 2013.

Despite the lower gas production rate, the value of both gas and oil in Kansas rose in 2013. Natural gas produced last year had a value of $1.1 billion dollars, while the value of oil rose to $4.1 billion dollars last year.

Horizontal wells accounted for 9.7 percent of the state's oil and gas production in October, but that fell to 7.7 percent in January.

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