States that lean heavily on oil, such as Oklahoma and North Dakota, are starting to see the negative impacts of crashing oil prices, reports the Associated Press.
Many oil producers have stopped drilling new wells to cut expenses, meaning many workers in the industry now face layoffs, such as drillers, truckers, and skilled tradesmen who make rig equipment.
“It’s just a nightmare down here,” said Lee Levinson, owner of LPD Energy, an oil and gas producer in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “Should these low oil prices last for any substantial period of time, it’s going to be hard for anyone to survive.”