Revved

Drilling demand from North America’s shale boom, as well as the beginnings of a recovery in the Gulf of Mexico, revved the four biggest domestic oilfield service companies in 2010 and 2011, but this year has been a different story, according to a review by IHS Inc.

The debate over the peak oil theory revved up Thursday after Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) and IHS Inc. said their indepth analysis puts the aggregate global decline rate at 4.5%, or only about half the 8% rate that many industry pundits have pegged. The analysis did not include natural gas fields, but CERA is working on a companion study on North America, CERA Chairman Daniel Yergin said.

The debate over the peak oil theory revved up Thursday after Cambridge Energy Research Associates (CERA) and IHS Inc. said their indepth analysis puts the aggregate global decline rate at 4.5%, or only about half the 8% rate that many industry pundits have pegged.