1 Van Fossan Oil Corp., Collinsville, Ill., plans to evaluate Mississippian zones at the #1-V Gates, a new wildcat scheduled in White County, Ill. IHS Energy Group says the test, which has a target depth of 3,500 ft., is in Section 4-5s-9e, less than a mile from two largely abandoned fields-Sumpter South Field to the northeast and Carmi North Field to the south. 2 The northern Indiana portion of the Michigan Basin is to see new exploration. Mason, Mich.-based Dart Oil & Gas Corp. is to drill to 1,500 ft. at the #1-29 W.T. Miller & Sons, a remote Cambro-Ordovician Knox wildcat in Section 29-28n-4e, Miami County. The nearest previous production is five miles south in the abandoned Peru Field, which was established in the late 1890s with the discovery of an oil pay between 850-1,000 ft. in Ordovician Trenton. 3 Knox is also the objective of another wildcat, this one scheduled by Fair Oil Ltd., Tyler, Texas, in Kentucky's Edmonson County. Fair's venture is the #1 Reynolds in Section 2-I-39. IHS Energy Group reports the company plans to drill to 6,500 ft. at the test, about three miles northeast of Windyville Field. 4 West Bay Exploration Co., Traverse City, Mich., has expanded its exploratory drilling program in southeastern Kentucky, having staked the 3,000-ft. #1 Christine Turner in Section 11-F-75, Harlan County. The company plans to evaluate several formations through Lower Mississippian Borden. Within a half-mile north, West Bay drilled the #1 KRCC/EPC in Section 10-F-75 earlier this year. The operator was last reported to be waiting on completion tools at the prospect that was set up as a 6,500-ft. test of Ordovician Black River. 5 A 4,580-ft. wildcat has been scheduled by Lavanway Exploration Co. LLC in Mason County, Mich. According to IHS Energy Group, Lavanway's project is the #1-21 Victory in Section 21-19n-17w, Victory Township. Silurian Brown Niagaran is to be tested at the venture that's nearly two miles east and southeast of the inactive Victory 19-19n-17w Field, which produced from Niagaran at about 4,400 ft. 6 Shell Western E&P Inc. has expanded its Devonian Antrim Shale program in Michigan's Sanilac County, having recently staked nine new wildcats-six in Lexington Township (10n-16e), two in Buel Township (10n-15e) and one in Worth Township (9n-16e). Projected depths of the nine tests range from 1,120 ft. to 1,300 ft., the depth to which the #D4-17 Merrill, Section 17-10n-16e, and #C4-26 Westbrook, Section 26-10n-15e, are to be drilled. 7 Ohio's Jeromesville Field in Ashland County is scheduled to get a deeper-pool wildcat to 5,400 ft. in Cambrian Trempealeau by Derby Operating Corp., Wooster, Ohio. The company's new test is the #2 Kaufman in Section 17, Mohican Township, Shreve Quad. IHS Energy Group says Derby also plans to look at Upper Devonian Berea and Silurian Clinton, which provide the existing production in the field. 8 Another Trempealeau exploratory venture is to be drilled in Ohio, this one the Par Energy Ltd. #1 Ringer in Guernsey County's Knox Field. Par, of Granville, Ohio, staked the new test in Section 22, Knox Township, Bloomfield Quad, in an area of Berea, Lower Devonian Oriskany and Clinton production in the field. The #1 Ringer has a projected depth of 7,500 ft. 9 Fairman Drilling Co., DuBois, Pa., is set to drill a 9,570-ft. wildcat targeting Trenton-Black River at the #1 Kimball in Section I of Montour Falls Quad, Veteran Township, Chemung County, N.Y. The drillsite is nearly four miles west of an unnamed field. IHS Energy Group notes that Fairman, Columbia Natural Resources Inc., Charleston, W.Va., and Pennsylvania General Energy, Warren, Pa., all have exploration programs targeting Trenton-Black River under way in Chemung County. 10 Colesville Township in New York's Broome County is the location of two new remote Upper Devonian wildcats staked by Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., Houston. They are the 5,075-ft. #1 Logs Unlimited in Section D of Belden Quad and 5,000-ft. #2 Wicks in Section F of Chenango Forks Quad. The new locations are approximately 13-15 miles southeast of an unnamed field. 11 International Oil & Gas Inc., Dallas, recently announced that it has entered into an agreement with Trans Energy Inc., St. Marys, W.Va., and Jayhawk Resources LLC, Arlington, Texas, to lease more than 5,000 acres in West Virginia to test Trenton and Black River. International Oil says the two formations, which are found at approximately 10,000 ft., are known to be productive in West Virginia due to recent discoveries by Columbia Natural Resources Inc. (CNR) in Roane County. CNR has drilled approximately 10 wells within various counties in West Virginia, all to Trenton-Black River in a structure known as the Rome Trough, which extends from New York through Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. International Oil says the joint venture has already acquired the acreage and intends to begin shooting seismic immediately. 12 Columbia Natural Resources Inc. has reported completion details on a deep discovery in Kanawha County, West Virginia's Clendenin Field. The #24021 Pine Mountain O&G Unit, Elk District, Mammoth Quad, flowed 15 million cu. ft. of gas per day from Black River at 9,481 ft. It bottomed at 9,591 ft. in Cambro-Ordovician Beekmantown. In Jackson County, CNR has staked two 10,500-ft. Trenton deeper-pool wildcats in Wheaton Run Field. IHS Energy Group reports they are the #824505 Griffith in Ravenswood District, Sandyville Quad, and #824457 Harbin in Grant District, Liverpool Quad. 13 West Virginia's Calhoun County continues to attract operators who plan to carry out deep exploratory work that targets Ordovician and Cambrian zones. Projected depth is 15,000 ft. at five new tests, three of them scheduled by Ardent Resources Inc., Bethel Park, Pa. Ardent's #1 G. Johnson and #1 Ball are in Sherman District, Grantsville Quad, while the #1 McKown is in Lee District, Arnoldsburg Quad. The remaining two 15,000-ft. ventures are in Sherman District, Grantsville Quad. They are the #1452 Kesler that's to be drilled by Trio Petroleum Corp., Glenville, W.Va., to test Middle Cambrian Conasauga, and the #11-8 Plant Heirs scheduled by Creston Oil Corp., Grantsville, W.Va., to test Trenton-Black River and Cambrian Copper Ridge. Two other projects are to be drilled to slightly shallower depths-14,000 ft. at the McIntosh Partners #4 Haymaker in Lee District, Arnoldsburg Quad, and 13,800 ft. at the Walter E. Smith #1 Walter E. Smith et al. in Sherman District, Grantsville Quad. McIntosh Partners, of Arnoldsburg, W.Va., and Smith, of Grantsville, both intend to test Trenton-Black River, Beekmantown and Copper Ridge. 14 Roundtree & Associates Inc., Jackson, Miss., is moving in rotary tools to drill the #1 Hollis 25-14, a Paleozoic wildcat in Alabama's Lamar County. The Southeastern Oil Review reports the venture, located in Section 25-15s-16w, has a projected depth of 4,100 ft. The drillsite is 1.5 miles northeast of Star Field. 15 Dallas-based Midroc Operating Co. intends to drill to 12,100 ft. to test Jurassic Smackover at a wildcat staked in Conecuh County, Ala. According to the Southeastern Oil Review, Midroc's venture is the #1 Cedar Creek Land & Timber 19-15 in Section 19-4n-12e, in the Little Cedar Creek Field area.