Oil rigs

Oil companies have been hampered by labor and capital costs and $70 a barrel may not be enough to lure them.

Usually the gas is burned off at the well. Environmentalists say using it for mining incentivizes more drilling.

While some lawmakers look to stop new drilling, the existing rigs are continuing to operate.

Low oil prices hit the state's mostly small producers hard. As a barrel of oil goes up, the industry is hopeful profits will start flowing again.

The new five-year drilling plan also could open new areas of oil and gas exploration in areas off the East Coast from Georgia to Maine, where drilling has been blocked for decades.