Oil Producers Wait Out Dennis

With at least 2,100 workers evacuated from shut offshore rigs and platforms, oil and natural gas producers watched Hurricane Dennis charge near production areas in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico on Sunday.

At least 42 percent of daily oil production and 27 percent of daily natural gas output were shut by the storm.

The Gulf is home to 25 percent of U.S. oil and gas production, producing 1.5 million barrels of crude and about 10 billion cubic feet of natural gas daily.

Some producers hope Dennis will leave less damage in its wake than last year’s Hurricane Ivan, which followed a similar track.

CNN