For a bit of perspective, the entire state of California, which recently beat out the United Kingdom as the fifth biggest economy in the world, has around 10 active drilling rigs. The Permian Basin alone has nearly 500. Exxon Mobil and Chevron, the United States’ top energy moguls, have both made the Permian Basin their focus, prioritizing their investments in West Texas over all their other projects worldwide, while European supermajors including Royal Dutch Shell and BP are also working diligently on growing their presence in the Permian. – Oilprice.com