1 Tom Brown Inc., Denver, has run pipe to a total depth of 4,140 ft. for a completion attempt in Pennsylvanian Upper Ismay Carbonates at the #C-9101 Lisbon, a shallower-pool prospect in Utah's Lisbon Field, reports IHS Energy Group. Brown's exploratory test is in Section 10-30s-24e, San Juan County. It's a twin to an 8,895-ft. well that produced from a Mississippian zone between 7,700-7,961 ft. and Devonian McCracken below 8,200 ft. 2 Pennsylvanian Cane Creek is scheduled to be tested at the #3-1 Kane Springs-Federal, an exploratory horizontal test staked by Houston-based Aviara Energy Corp. in Grand County, Utah. The test, on the Kane Creek Federal Unit in Section 3-26s-19e, is to reach a true vertical depth of 7,350 ft. Other exploration set for Grand County includes four tests targeting Lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain and Dakota. Two of them are to be drilled by National Fuel Corp., Denver, and two by the company's president, J.C. Thompson. National Fuel's ventures are the #13-11 Federal in Section 11-16s-21e and the #31-21 Federal in Section 21-16s-21e, scheduled to be drilled to 10,200 ft. and 10,100 ft., respectively. About 15 miles to the east, Thompson has staked the 6,400-ft. #42-24 Federal in Section 24-16s-23e and the 6,200-ft. #13-19 Federal in Section 19-16s-24e. 3 The initial flow gauge was 196 bbl. of oil, 85,000 cu. ft. of gas and 7 bbl. of water per day from Mississippian Bakken at the #36-1 Burning Tree-State, a horizontal discovery completed by Lyco Energy Corp., Dallas, in Montana's Richland County. Lyco used a 16/64-in. choke to test through three sets of perforations between 10,398-11,202 ft. at the well, in Section 36-25n-54e, in the Spring Lake Field area. Richland County is also the location of a new wildcat where drilling is under way. Dickinson, N.D. independent Armstrong Operating Inc.'s #1-21 BR, Section 21-23n-54e, is set up as an 11,750-ft. test of Ordovician Red River. 4 A wildcat in Roosevelt County, Mont., has been cased by Nance Petroleum Corp., Billings, for a completion attempt in Red River, reports IHS Energy Group. Pipe is set at a total depth of 12,530 ft. at the #5-2 Wix in Section 2-27n-57e. The top of Red River was logged at 12,120 ft. 5 Mull Drilling Co. Inc., Wichita, is moving in rotary tools to drill a remote wildcat at the #1 Triceratops in Section 12-23n-31e, Garfield County, Mont. The venture is midway in the 18-mile gap between two producing areas-Rattler Butte and Kincheloe Ranch fields to the southeast and Cat Creek Field to the northwest. 6 North Dakota has gained two new discoveries, the result of work carried out by Belco Energy Corp., New York, in Billings and Dunn counties. The #2-24H Richard, Section 24-138n-100w, Billings County, was completed flowing 320 bbl. of oil and 288 bbl. of water per day from the Sherwood "C" zone of Mission Canyon (Mississippian Madison). According to exhibits submitted to the North Dakota Industrial Commission, the well is producing from an openhole interval between 10,708-14,831 ft. The Dunn County producer is the #1-5H Spelevoy in Section 5-143n-97w. It was tested for an initial pump gauge of 175 bbl. of oil, 507,000 cu. ft. of gas and 79 bbl. of water from Fryburg (Mission Canyon-Madison) between 9,713-12,734 ft. 7 Another Billings County test is an indicated discovery, based on a drillstem test run by Upton Resources USA Inc. in Pennsylvanian Tyler Sand at the #3-1 Tracy Mountain-Fryburg in Section 3-138n-101w. Pipe recovery on the 90-minute test was more than 4,000 ft. of light oil, with a shut-in pressure of 4,400 psi. Upton, a subsidiary of Calgary-based Upton Resources Inc., notes the high formation pressure indicates the prospect found a new pool. After testing Tyler, Upton finished drilling the prospect as a Fryburg horizontal test. Projected depth was 14,994 ft. Upton has a 47.5% working interest in the prospect. Also in Billings County, BTA Oil Producers, Midland, continues to develop a Bird Bear (Devonian Nisku) play on the southeastern end of Beaver Creek Field. IHS Energy Group says BTA's second such producer in the area, the #2 Federal-DM 9210 JV-P. in Section 6-142n-102w, flowed at an initial rate of 752 bbl. of oil, 380,000 cu. ft. of gas and 80 bbl. of water per day. It was tested on an 18/64-in. choke through perforations at 10,687-91 ft. 8 The first horizontal producer in North Dakota's Landa Field has been completed by Whiting Petroleum Corp., Denver, pumping 136 bbl. of oil and 154 bbl. of water, with 120,000 cu. ft. of gas, per day from Midale (Madison). Whiting's #3 Trelstad, Section 27-163n-79w, Bottineau County, is producing from an openhole interval between 3,730-5,327 ft. True vertical depth at the well's terminus is 3,234 ft. 9 A Powder River Basin discovery-the Ballard Petroleum LLC #33-3 Federal in Section 3-56n-68w, Crook County, Wyo.-produced 200 bbl. of oil per day when completed in Pennsylvanian Minnelusa "B" Sand. Perforations are at 4,754-74 ft. The Billings-based operator has staked locations for two more Minnelusa tests within a half-mile east of the discovery. Also in the Powder River Basin, pipe has been set at another exploratory test. McMurry Oil Co., Casper, set pipe on bottom at 13,459 ft. at the #2-3 North Sand Dunes in Section 3-44n-80w, Johnson County. The company planned to test Cretaceous Frontier and Muddy. 10 Still in the Powder River Basin, Abraxas Petroleum Corp. San Antonio, reports it tested a flow of more than 300 bbl. of oil and 250,000 cu. ft. of gas per day at the #3H Middleton, a horizontal exploitation well in Wyoming's Brooks Draw Field. The well, drilled from a surface location in Section 10-38n-67w, Niobrara County, had a projected bottomhole location in Section 9-38n-67w, Converse County. It was drilled to a total measured depth of 12,065 ft. at a true vertical depth of 8,200 ft., with the production coming from an approximate 4,200-ft. Cretaceous Turner interval. Abraxas notes it owns a 100% working interest in the Brooks Draw Prospect. The company feels it could have up to 150 additional locations on its 62,000-acre block. 11 Americomm Resources Corp., Tulsa, says is has entered into a "Letter of Intent" with Wells Gray Resort & Resources Ltd., Calgary, to drill a horizontal test in the 25,000-acre Timber Draw Federal Drilling Unit in Niobrara County. Americomm notes the Timber Draw Unit is included in its 102,000-acre lease block in the eastern portion of the Powder River Basin. Wells Gray Resort & Resources is to drill a test in a 640-acre spacing unit to a vertical depth of about 8,300 ft. and then a horizontal leg of between 2,500 ft. to 4,000 ft. to evaluate Cretaceous Newcastle/Muddy. Americomm is to be the operator. 12 The #42-16 NB Wickstrom-State, completed by Lyco Energy Corp., Dallas, flowing 40 bbl. of oil, 100,000 cu. ft. of gas and 4 bbl. of water per day, has opened a new field in Morgan County, Colo. IHS Energy Group says the discovery, in Section 16-6n-60w, is producing from a Cretaceous D Sand interval at 6,588-92 ft. It was tested on a 24/64-in. choke. 13 Evergreen Operating Corp., Denver, plans to re-enter and deepen the #1 Federal, a 13,070-ft. dry hole in Section 6-2n-92w, Rio Blanco County, Colo. The new projected depth is approximately 13,600 ft. Mississippian Leadville Lime is to be tested at the deeper-pool test in Nine Mile Field. 14 Anschutz Exploration Corp., Denver, was the successful bidder for an oil and gas exploration license in Alaska's Copper River Basin, according to the Alaska Division of Oil & Gas. Anschutz bid a work commitment of $1.42 million and paid 20% down on a one-time, $1-an-acre rental fee for the 398,445-acre license. The company's proposal is for work spread over four years. The licensing program requires bonding of 20% of the work commitment, with the bond reassessed each year and reduced by the amount of work completed.