SALT LAKE CITY -- State regulators say that for the first time in history Utah has more than 10,000 producing oil and gas wells.
Utah's Division of Oil, Gas and Mining records show there are more than 3,600 oil wells and more than 6,300 gas wells currently operating statewide.
The division's associate director John Rogers says the numbers mark a significant milestone. Over the past decade the state averaged between 8,000 and 9,000 operating wells.
Rogers says new technology has allowed for more exploration and production.
He says Utah ranks 11th in U.S. crude oil production and 9th in gross natural production.
Utah produced more than 24.6 million barrels of oil in 2010.
The first Utah oil well was drilled in 1891.
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