The Lower 48 oil and natural gas business that BP plc carved out under a separate umbrella took a tumble in the second quarter, with the rig count falling from 13 working during the first three months of the year to only one at the end of June.

The primary production focus of Denver-based BPX Energy is in Texas, where unconventional resources abound in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford Shale, as well as the Haynesville Shale, which straddles portions of East Texas and North Louisiana.

Because parent BP plc is charting a staggering 40% reduction in production as it transforms from hydrocarbons into an integrated energy company, executives were asked how the U.S. onshore fits in with those intentions. No mention of the U.S. onshore was made during the formal conference call...