Although oil prices are roughly a third of what they were 18 months ago, capital spending estimates provided to the Revenue Department show that $3.32 billion in capital spending will occur in fiscal year 2017, the state budget year beginning next July 1, and $3.24 billion in 2018. Photo/Courtesy/BP The overwhelming unknown is the price of crude oil, and whether it will continue to go down, stabilize or creep upward as has been predicted.