Oil & Gas Jobs in Texas

Although the recession hit Texas just as hard as the rest of the United States, things have recently been turning around in the oil and gas industry, meaning that tons of new jobs are becoming available in this state. There are hundreds of thousands of oil and gas wells active in Texas across several shale plays and oil fields.

Texas' Oil and Gas Industry

While most states with oil and gas are lucky to have one or two plays, in Texas, there are several shale plays and oil fields where you can find jobs. You can work in any of the following locations:

• Barnett Shale, Fort Worth Basin
• Eagle Ford Shale Play, Western Gulf Basin in Southern Texas
• East Texas Oil Field

• Granite Wash Play, spanning across Texas and Oklahoma
• Haynesville-Bossier Shale Play, spanning across Texas and Louisiana
• Spraberry Trend
• Woodford Shale Play, Anadarko Basin, spanning across Texas and Oklahoma
• Woodford Shale Play, Ardmore Basin, spanning across Texas and Oklahoma
• Yates Oil Field

All of these fields are regulated by The Railroad Commission of Texas, which was originally established in 1891, making it the oldest agencies of its kind in the United States. So, in addition to working at any of the extraction sites or any of Texas' refineries, you can also consider a regulation or inspection job with this organization.

Shale Plays in Texas

At one time, shale plays were not largely explored due to the inability for companies to economically reach the natural gas in this rock. New horizontal drilling and fracking techniques have changed the game. So, several shale plays in Texas are now being developed in fast and furious fashion.

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The Barnett Shale play in North Central Texas is one of the most popular, with some geologists even comparing the potential in this area to the big oil booms in this state in the 20th century. Several companies are active in this region, and because part of the largest gas reserves in this area are under the city of Fort Worth, there's an additional opportunity for urban planners and engineers to find jobs in this region.

You can also find jobs working in southern Texas in the Eagle Ford Shale play. This is also a new are of exploration and production, with very dense rock. Fracking is required to release the gas and oil in this area since the shale has little natural fracturing.

Another important shale play in Texas is Haynesville-Bossier. Spanning across both Texas and Louisiana, this is a "tight sand" and shale play, so less fracking is be necessary in this area. Many companies, both directly and indirectly involved with oil and gas production, are active in this play and Eagle Ford, as well as other smaller shale plays in the state.

You can find much more information in the members section of OilJobFinder:

• Profiles of all of the companies hiring workers
• Employer profiles
• and job search tips.

Oil Fields in Texas

Although shale plays are the hot topic in the oil and gas new right now, oil fields are still huge in Texas. Some of the most popular include the East Texas Oil Field, the Spraberry Trend in Western Texas, and the Yates Oil Field, also in western Texas.

There are thousands of active wells in these and other areas in the state, not to mention refinery jobs.

Check out the OilJobFinder members section today to learn how to get an oil and gas industry job in Texas today.