By Al Pickett Special Correspondent The Permian Basin is a mighty busy place these days. According to the Baker Hughes rig count for May 2, there were 543 rigs operating in the 102,000-square-mile basin that includes much of West Texas and the southeastern corner of New Mexico. That represents 30 percent of the rigs operating in the entire United States and was 300-plus operating rigs more than the next two most active basins: the Eagle Ford (218) in South Texas and the Williston (183) in North Dakota and Montana. It also numbered 74 more rigs than were operating in the Permian Basin a year earlier. There is another trend developing, however, that is changing Permian Basin dynamics: increased horizontal drilling. Perhaps no company represents the shift to horizontal better than Approach Resources Inc. President and Chief Executive Officer Ross Craft says the company has transformed its operational focus in the booming Wolfcamp Shale from vertical to horizontal over the past few years, and expects to continue to expand its horizontal activity. "There was a bigger bang for our buck by going horizontal," Craft remarks. JUNE 2014 119