Chevron and several smaller oil companies are also on the verge of signing contracts.
He had used burning to combat smaller oil spills in the marshes of the Mississippi Delta.
A smaller oil field, known as Terra Nova, has subsequently started operating off Newfoundland.
Dealers reported renewed talk of consolidation among the smaller oil explorers.
During these years, Lukoil and Surgut" -- a smaller oil firm -- "have paid more taxes than all other companies.
A smaller oil company, Sibneft, has reiterated plans to raise output more than 20percentt next year.
"A lot of the smaller oil and gas companies haven't committed to return," said Mr. Hutchinson, the city economic official.
The government is also negotiating service contracts with ExxonMobil, Shell, Total, BP, Chevron and some smaller oil companies.
This could prolong the misery for smaller oil companies, and hasten the decline of even more small Texas towns.
Many smaller oil companies, including American producers like Marathon and Hunt, have signed contracts with the Kurdistan regional government.
As production fell in the 1980s, the government began developing several of the country's smaller oil fields.
