Oil Ghost Towns Dot the Landscape in Texas' Other Shale Patch

His own business hit bottom a few months ago, when his roster of rig clients dropped to just four. Things have started to rebound some—as they have for Potts and Garcia—but still, he’s flirting with the idea of relocating to the roaring Permian Basin, where there are four times as many rigs in operation.

“If I was 38 or 42, there’d be no decision whatsoever; I’d be out there in six hours,” Katzmark says. “At this age, I have to ask myself: Do I really have enough energy in me to do it right?”

To contact the author of this story: Dan Murtaugh in Singapore at dmurtaugh@bloomberg.net. To contact the editor responsible for this story: David Papadopoulos at papadopoulos@bloomberg.net.