US oil explorers raised the rig count to 800 for the first time in almost three years. (Bloomberg) — U.S. oil explorers raised the rig count to 800 for the first time in almost three years amid booming domestic and overseas demand for crude and petroleum-based fuels. Drillers have been accelerating exploration in an almost-unbroken streak since the beginning of November, vaulting American crude output to a record of more than 10 million barrels a day. The unrelenting pace of expansion signals even bigger production jumps yet to come, even as concerns about excess supplies recently weighed on oil prices. Explorers boosted the number of rigs drilling for crude in U.S. fields by 1 this week, bringing the total to 800, according to Baker Hughes data released on Friday. American explorers already have put the nation on par with Saudi Arabia as a crude producer and may eclipse Russia […]