Chamber says Searcy gas-drilling firm to close | News

SEARCY, Ark. (AP) - Officials in Searcy say 90 people will be out of work when a gas-drilling company closes its doors.

Searcy Regional Chamber of Commerce President Buck Layne says Weatherford International will shut down by Sept. 8. The company uses hydraulic fracturing - also known as fracking - to drill for natural gas.

Layne tells The Daily Citizen (http://is.gd/RlDtQa) it's possible that other companies will pull out from the area to focus on oil-rich regions because of low wholesale prices for natural gas.

Hydraulic fracturing is a method used to extract oil and gas from rock by injecting high-pressure mixtures of water, sand or gravel and chemicals.

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Information from: The Daily Citizen, http://www.thedailycitizen.com/

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