Floorhands work on an drilling rig contracted to Shell in the Delaware Basin, near Wink, Texas, on Jan. 25, 2019. The drop in crude prices resulted in a decline in the growth of oil production values, which narrowed to 6.1 percent in December from December 2017. Joined by a decline in the rig count and drilling permits "combined to knock the regional oil and gas index off its growth track," Ingham said.