EASTERN U.S.

1 Dominion Midwest Energy Co., Traverse City, Mich., has permitted 15 Montmorency County, Mich., Antrim wells in Montmorency County Antrim Field. Wells include the #B1-7, B2-7, B4-7, D1-7 and D4-7 Joy, all in Section 7-29n-4e; the #B2-18, C1-18 and C4-18 in Section 18 of the same township and range; the #B4-19, D2-19, C2-19 Joy and the #A1-19 and C1-19 State Rust & Morris, all in Section 19; and the #B2-30 and D1-30 State Rust & Morris in Section 30. The target depth for all the wells is 1,500 ft. 2 Traverse City-based independent Tiger Development LLC plans a wildcat some 16 miles southeast of Kalkaska, Mich., in Section 14-25n-6w, Garfield Township, in southern Kalkaska County, according to IHS Energy. The state permit calls for a 4,700-ft. test to Devonian Richfield at the #2-14 Tiger State-Garfield, which is a little more than a half-mile from the company's #1-14 Tiger State-Garfield, a directionally drilled well completed last year within the same section. In the earlier test, the company set casing to 13,010 ft. and tested Prairie du Chien between 10,706-26 ft. and shut in the well while awaiting a pipeline connection. The nearest Prairie du Chien well is in Garfield Section 8 Field, about four miles east-northeast. 3 Direct Energy Marketing Ltd., Toronto, a subsidiary of U.K.-based Centrica, has applied for a permit to drill an offset to its Niagaran discovery a mile north of New Haven, Mich., in Section 21-4n-14e, Lenox Township, Macomb County. The primary target is Silurian Gelph, but the company plans to drill to Clinton at 3,105 ft. The #1-21 Martin is an east offset of the #1-20 Richards in Section 20, tested more than a year ago at 100 bbl. of oil per day from Niagaran by Range Petroleum Corp. Direct Energy later took over as operator of the 3,170-ft. discovery. The #1-20 Richards produced 30,578 bbl. of oil in its first nine months of production. 4 George N. Mitchell Production Co., Carmi, Ill., staked two delineation tests to 2,600 ft. in Silurian near a discovery some 3.5 miles southeast of Venedy, Washington County, Ill. The new wells are the #1 and #2 Orlee & Velma Wolf, both in Section 13-2s-5w. The wells are within a half-mile north of the company's #1 Herbert Ruth Lange in Section 24, which has produced 21,000 bbl. of oil in its first eight months of production. Although Mitchell hasn't released details of completion, the wildcat reportedly was drilled to 2,454 ft. and completed in Devonian. Mitchell previously drilled two offsets to the discovery and worked over a third. Two wells were completed as producers. 5 An Ordovician wildcat has been staked by Quicksilver Resources Inc., Fort Worth, Texas. The #A1-1 Sherman is targeting gas at 1,050 ft. The Harrison County, Ind., well is in irregular Section 1-6s-3e, about 3.5 miles northeast of Brandenberg, Ky., and more than a mile northwest of Flippins Run Field, which produces from New Albany. Quicksilver's Laconia Field is in Section 6-6s-3e. 6 Columbia Natural Resources Inc., Charleston, W.Va., has permitted the #824926 Brown J F Trustee in Kanawha County, W.Va., looking for natural gas. The 5,000-ft. test targets Devonian shale in Big Sandy District, Clio Quad, about 5.5 miles northeast of Clendenin, W.Va., and more than a mile east of Clendenin Field, which produces from Big Injun. 7 Dominion Transmission Co., Clarksburg, W.Va., has permitted two reentries in an unnamed field and another in Taylor Drain Field in Barbour County, W.Va., all targeting gas production from old wells. The #11291 Johnny L. Stewart well is in an unnamed field in Elk District, Brownton Quad, where the former #11291 Chloris Benson showed an initial potential of 231,000 cu. ft. of gas per day from Benson sand. The #11316 Lona Smith Heirs well, also in an unnamed field, is the former #11316 Cella Stalnaker, which showed an initial potential of 531,000 cu. ft. a day from Benson in Pleasant District, Philippi Quad. The Taylor Drain Field well is the #12182 Jean Brown (Life Estate), also in Pleasant District, Philippi Quad. As the #12182 D. T. Proudfoot well, it showed an initial potential of 1.3 million cu. ft. of gas, also from Benson. 8 A new-field wildcat in Logan County, W.Va., the #10 ECA-Yawkey, has been permitted by Eastern American Energy Corp., Charleston, W.Va., looking for Devonian shale gas at 5,300 ft. The well is in Guyan District, Henlawson Quad. The test is about a half-mile southeast of an unnamed Big Lime field and nearly six miles northeast of Mitchell Heights, W.Va. 9 Ohio Kentucky Oil Co., Lexington, Ky., has staked a new-field wildcat in Section 15-G-50e Gradyville Quad, Adair County, almost eight miles southwest of Columbia, Ky. The #1 Jason Camfield is projected to Knox at 2,000 ft. in a search for oil and gas. The nearest production is from Gradyville East Consolidated Field, which produces from Knox 1.5 miles southeast. In the same county, Target Oil & Gas Inc., Danville, Ky., also staked a new-field Knox wildcat in Knifley Quad nearly 13 miles north of Russell Springs, Ky., and about three miles north of Knox production from Eunice Field. 10 Devx Operating Co., Frisco, Texas, received a permit for the #1 John T. Rhodes, a Meade County wildcat in central Kentucky targeting Silurian at 1,500 ft. The well is in Section 12-Q-41e, Flaherty Quad, some 6.5 miles southeast of Ekron, Ky., and a little more than a mile west of Flaherty Field, which produces from New Albany. 11 A two-well shallow exploration program has been permitted in Metcalfe County, Ky., by Beck Oil Inc., Horse Cave. The #7 Edward E. Gentry and the #4 Clifton Smith both will target oil from 1,000 ft. in the Sunnybrook Sand in Section 18-E-46E, Sulphur Well Quad, some 10.5 miles southwest of Edmonton and a little more than a mile southwest of Sunnybrook production from Summer Shade Southeast Field. 12 Independent J.R. Watts, Owensboro, Ky., continues an ongoing exploration program by staking another wildcat in Daviess County, Ky., according to IHS Energy. The #5 Barbara Moorman is in 5-N-30, on the outskirts of Masonville. The 1,800-ft. well will test Mississippian zones through McClosky. J.R. Watts has drilled three McClosky exploratory wells in the area-the #1 Barbara Moorman, also in 5-N-30 but 0.75-mile north-northwest of the #5 Barbara Moorman, and the #2 and #3 Barbara Moorman wells, both in 1-N-29 to the northwest. The company has not released details on those wells. It also has staked the #4 Barbara Moorman in 6-N-30, about a half-mile southeast of the #5 well. The nearest production is 2.5 miles west where Browns Valley North Field produces from Tar Springs, and the same distance southeast where Pleasant Ridge Consolidated Field produces from Aux Vases and O'Hara. 13 Dominion Exploration Production Inc. assumed operating rights from ConocoPhillips Inc. of Houston, its partner, in more than 800 coalbed-methane wells in the Tuscaloosa area of northwestern Alabama in the Black Warrior Basin. ConocoPhillips had been acting as contract operator for the Black Warrior project, in which Dominion held a 98% interest in 532 wells. ConocoPhillips also operated the jointly owned Whitson project where Dominion also is a majority owner. In the latest transaction, ConocoPhillips' working interest will increase in the Whitson project. The change in operating units took place at the end of last year. 14 Miller Exploration Co., with offices in Traverse City, Mich., and Houston, is drilling the second lateral of a horizontal wildcat in a lightly drilled area of Covington County, Ala., near Pleasant Home Field. Miller permitted the well as the #1 Miller-Dixon in Section 31-3n-15e. It drilled the first lateral to 11,550 ft. and started a second lateral, which was drilling at 10,538 ft. at last report. The new well is a northeast offset to the Pleasant Home Field's #1 Smak-Dixon 31-7, drilled to 11,111 ft. in 1995. 15 IHS Energy reports that Kerr-McGee Oil & Gas Corp. reached a total depth of 21,140 ft. at a wildcat on Atwater Valley Block 261 in the Gulf of Mexico. The #1 OCS-G-16890 was drilled in 8,334 ft. of water. This is the first of up to four wildcats proposed in an initial plan of exploration filed by BHP Petroleum. Kerr-McGee's third wildcat on Atwater Valley Block 37, known as the Merganser prospect, is about 20 miles northwest. Its Merganser discovery, 0.25-mile north, encountered more than 150 ft. of natural gas pay in early 2002.