1 New exploration slated for Illinois includes a new-field wildcat being started in Clinton County and two locations staked in St. Clair County, reports IHS Energy Group. Schofield Energy Co., Evansville, is moving in rotary tools to drill to 2,950 ft. in Ordovician Trenton at the #1 Earl Bayer in Section 31-2n-5w, Clinton County. Silurian is the objective of the two wildcats located to the southwest in neighboring St. Clair County. Wabash Production & Development Inc., Fairfield, Ill., staked the 1,600-ft. #1 J. Krichhoefer in Section 28-3s-7w. It's a deeper-pool test in the abandoned Marissa West Field area. Bernard Podolsky Oil Co., also of Fairfield, is set to drill the #1 Funk-Funk Comm., an 1,800-ft. new-field wildcat in Section 7-2s-6w. 2 Kentucky's Daviess County is the site of exploration scheduled by Payne Drilling, Philpot, Ky. The #1 Joseph A. Roberts, Section 4-O-31, is a shallower-pool wildcat to be drilled to 1,000 ft. to Mississippian Jackson. It's located 3/4 of a mile north-northeast of 1,880-ft. Lower Mississippian Warsaw production in Philpot Field. 3 Formations through Cambro-Ordovician Knox will be evaluated at the #1 Glen Roy Keith, a remote wildcat staked by Monticello, Ky.-based Peek Oil Co. in Section 24-F-59, Frazer Quad, Wayne County, Ky. Projected depth is 2,000 ft. 4 Columbia Natural Resources Inc., Charleston, W.Va., continues to carry out Devonian exploration on its vast Ark Land Co. lease in eastern Kentucky. Drilling is under way at the 5,000-ft. #824046 wildcat in Section 15-F-79, Benham Quad, Harlan County. Also in the county is the #824047 location, scheduled to go to 4,990 ft. in Section 11-F-78, Louellen Quad. Several miles to the northeast in Letcher County, the company drilled to a total depth of 5,060 ft. and is waiting on completion tools at its #823932 venture in Section 1-F-80, Appalachia Quad. Elsewhere in Letcher County, in 10-G-81, Whitesburg Quad, CNR has completed drilling its #824048 test, which had a projected depth of 4,900 ft., and moved the rig to the #823981 wildcat, where it's drilling toward a projected depth of 5,100 ft. 5 Jackson, Mich.-based Reservoir Research Corp.'s #4-20 Denning-a Black River discovery located in Section 20-5s-2w, Moscow Township, Hillsdale County, Mich.-was completed for 130 bbl. of oil and 10,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. According to IHS Energy Group, the well is producing through perforations between 4,040-4,176 ft. 6 Exploratory drilling by Petroleum Development Corp. in Church Lake Field in Oscoda County, Mich., has resulted in the discovery of oil and gas from a shallower pool-Devonian Richfield at 4,180-84 ft. and 4,210-14 ft. The initial pump gauge was 50 bbl. of oil and 10 bbl. of water, with 50,000 cu. ft. of gas, per day. Bridgeport, W.Va.-based PDC's well, the #3-16 USA-Big Creek, is in Section 16-25n-2e, Big Creek Township. It is a west offset to the inactive Church Lake Field opener, which produced gas and condensate from Ordovician Glenwood and St. Peter between 9,981-10,004 ft. PDC recently filed for state drilling permits for nine more 4,600-ft. Richfield tests, all in Section 16, on its Big Creek federal lease. 7 Savoy Exploration Inc. and Savoy Energy LP, Traverse City, Mich., have announced the successful completion of a Silurian Niagaran Reef development well in Cleon Section 19 Field in Manistee County, Mich. The #1-19B State Cleon, Section 19-24n-13w, Cleon Township, was tested flowing and swabbing at the rate of 197 bbl. of oil and 110,000 cu. ft. of gas per day through perforations between 5,311-5,403 ft. 8 A second remote Ordovician Trenton-Black River wildcat has been scheduled by Fairman Drilling Co. in Veteran Township, Section I of Montour Falls Quad, Chemung County, N.Y. IHS Energy Group says the new venture is the #1 Bennett Family that's projected to reach a total depth of 9,465 ft. The publication notes Fairman has drilling operations under way at the first venture, the #1 Broz Unit, which is scheduled to go to a depth of 9,775 ft. 9 New York's Cayuga County is the site of another Trenton-Black River new-field wildcat where Peninsular Oil & Gas Co., Ada, Mich., has completed drilling. Status of the #1 Ziemba and other details regarding the venture are not reported. The project, located in Cato Township, Section B of Weedsport Quad, was scheduled to be drilled to 3,850 ft. 10 A Trenton-Black River play under way in West Virginia is expanding, with three new deep exploratory tests scheduled, reports IHS Energy Group. Columbia Natural Resources Inc. is starting one of two tests for which it's the operator, both deeper-pool wildcats. They are #24050 McCallister in Curry District, Garretts Bend Quad, Putnam County, where CNR is moving in a rotary, and the #24114 Twyman in Smithfield District, Tariff Quad, Roane County. The active test is in an area of Devonian production in Burdette-St. Albans Field, while the undrilled location is in Minnora Field, a Devonian Shale gas pool. CNR did not disclose the projected depth for either test. The third venture is the #1 Groves, a 12,000-ft. Trenton deeper-pool test planned by R&A Production, Creston, W.Va., for Smithfield District, Clio Quad, Roane County. The drillsite is in an area of Devonian Shale gas production in Looneyville-Newton Field. 11 Other exploratory activity planned for West Virginia's Roane County includes a 14,000-ft. deeper-pool test to Precambrian scheduled to be drilled by Boggs Natural Gas, Spencer, W.Va. The #4 Schaller is located in Smithfield District, Tariff Quad, in the Minnora Field area. 12 Jurassic Smackover is the objective of the #1 M Bar 35-14, a wildcat staked by Esenjay Exploration Inc., Corpus Christi, in Choctaw County, Ala. Esenjay's venture, located in Section 35-12n-5w, has a projected depth of 11,500 ft. 13 Alabama's Fayette County claims a Mississippian Lewis discovery, the #1 Betsy-Williamson 19-4 completed by Moon-Hines-Tigrett Operating Co. Inc. flowing 803,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. The Jackson, Miss., independent's well is in Section 19-17s-13w. The initial flow was gauged on a 20/64-in. choke through perforations at 4,461-91 ft. Within a half mile to the northwest in Section 18, the company is set to drill the #2 Betsy-Williamson to 4,600 ft. in an attempt to confirm the discovery. 14 A modest Nason gas producer, completed by Jabsco Oil Operating LLC flowing 173,000 cu. ft. per day, has extended Kennedy Field in Lamar County, Ala. The Southeastern Oil Review reports Jabsco's #1 James Owens 22-7, Section 22-17s-14w, flowed on a 12/64-in. choke from 1,834-39 ft. Elsewhere in Lamar County, casing has been set at two Paleozoic wildcats. The publication says that in Section 26-15s-16w, Midvale, Utah-based Medallion Exploration drilled to a total depth of 4,200 ft. at the #1 F. Ogden 26-8. Meanwhile, IHS Energy Group reports Hughes Eastern Corp., Ridgeland, Miss., ran pipe to a total depth of 3,000 ft. at #1 Otts 36-3, a Lewis test in Section 36-13s-15w. Both prospects are awaiting a completion rig. Additional exploration scheduled in Lamar County includes the #1 Street 7-2, a Lewis wildcat staked by Roundtree & Associates Inc., Jackson, Miss. According to IHS Energy Group, the venture located in Section 7-17s-16w has a projected depth of 5,300 ft.