	pickens sees continued slump in working rigs t boone pickens the texas oilman and financier said he believes the heady days the oil service industry had in the early s when over oil rigs were once reported operating will not return in his lifetime pickens told reuters he expects the rig count to drop to below before recovering he added that oil prices will eventually rise to dlrs then to dlrs after currently some oil rigs are operating in the u s down sharply after oil prices slipped from dlrs in late to around dlrs in prices are now around dlrs the highest number of working rigs was in december the rigs won t go back to work until the price of oil gets above dlrs he said adding that while he expects to see dlr a barrel oil he does not expect to see rigs operating in his lifetime pickens is pickens who is currently touring the country promoting his autobiography boone said he does not believe the u s should impose an oil import fee in order to stimulate the domestic oil industry reuter 
