Spurred by hydraulic fracturing, the deep shale fields of North Dakota’s Bakken and Texas’s Eagle Ford are collectively producing two and a half million barrels of oil per day. By some measures, the boom appears to be turning to glut. Last week, the spot price of crude fell to under $80 per barrel, its lowest price in more than three years. The nationwide average price of unleaded gasoline has followed suit, dropping to $2.95 per gallon, prices not seen since the end of 2010.While drivers and other energy consumers rejoice, oil executives fear that plummeting crude oil prices signal missteps similar to those made by the natural gas industry in recent years – as unchecked production and its attendant lower oil prices erode their bottom line.Read More.Source: High Country Times/Jeremy Miller