Falling oil prices sparked a decline of almost 40% in new oil and gas well permits issued across the U.S. in November, with only 4,520 new well permits approved last month, down from 7,227 in October. New permits, which outline what drilling rigs will be doing 60-90 days in the future, showed heavy declines for the first time this year across the top three U.S. onshore fields: the Permian Basin, Eagle Ford and Bakken shale.