Preliminary data on crude oil production from the shale basins in Texas show a moderate increase from last year, a state regulator reported. The Texas Railroad Commission, the state energy regulator, reported total state crude oil production in March, the last full month for which data are available, was 2.79 million barrels per day, an increase of more than a quarter million barrels from the same time last year. Previous data paint a mixed picture. Assuming crude oil production for each calendar day, the average in January and February was closer to 3.3 million bpd. Federal data, however, show expectations of an increase. The U.S. Energy Information Administration said it expects production from the Eagle Ford shale in Texas could increase to 1.4 […]