Two Billionth Barrel

Andrews County produced its second billionth barrel of crude oil on August 21, 1981, sixteen years and ninety-six days after its first billionth barrel came from beneath the county’s 1,500 square miles. By producing two billion barrels in fifty-two years, Andrews became the third county in Texas history to do so, after Ector and Gregg counties. In an energy-starved nation, revitalized multi-pay production zones in Andrews underwent secondary recovery, and a few were on the threshold of tertiary recovery methods, yielding almost forty million barrels of crude annually along with thirty-two million cubic feet of gas. In 1981, almost one billion dollars of petroleum products were sold from beneath Andrews County, fueling a fast-paced economic upturn in the community. The county’s population was estimated at more than fourteen thousand at the end of the year. Andrews ranked eighth in the state in crude oil production, while more than two thousand oil field workers received forty point six million dollars in payrolls. State taxes of forty-three point three million dollars were paid on Andrews petroleum products during the year. A community-wide celebration marked the occasion as the entire citizenry joined in observing the historic event.

Andrews, Texas · United States