1 Independent Jordan Exploration Co., Traverse City, Mich., has permitted three 3,000-ft. wildcats in northwestern Washington, reports IHS Energy Group. The tests are the #9-6 Brandsma, Section 6-40n-3e; the #6-6 Vander Veen, Section 6-40n-4e; and the #8-4 Cedar Hedge, Section 4-40n-4e. The tests are in the Bellingham Basin, just south of Washington's border with British Columbia and near the town of Lynden. 2 California's overall oil production rate averaged about 841,000 bbl. per day in 2000, reports the state's Division of Oil, Gas and Geothermal Resources in its preliminary report on oil and gas production. That level was down slightly from the 1999 average of 853,500 bbl. per day. Midway-Sunset Field, Kern County, retained its long-standing position as the largest producing oil field, making 58.4 million bbl. last year. Kern River, South Belridge, Cymric and Elk Hills rounded out the top five California oil fields. Elk Hills was the largest field producing associated natural gas, with 2000 production of 151 billion cu. ft.; Rio Vista was the largest nonassociated gas field with production of 14.6 billion cu. ft. The state further reports that 2,330 wells were drilled within its boundaries last year, a healthy increase from the 1,752 wells drilled in 1999. 3 Bakersfield firm Tri-Valley Oil & Gas Co. reports that it will resume testing on its deep #1 Ekho, drilled last year in Section 3-27s-22e, Kern County, Calif. The well reached a total depth of 19,085 ft. and encountered noncommercial quantities of gas and oil in the Vedder sand member of the Miocene Lower Temblor section. Most of the initial partners dropped out of the venture, but Tri-Valley has now obtained financing to pick up the open interests and retest the well. 4 Belco Energy has completed a horizontal stepout to North Dakota's Willmen Field as a multi-leg Sherwood producer, reports The Rocky Mountain Oil Journal. The Sadowsky Trust #1-11H, Section 11-142n-97w, Dunn County, was completed pumping 343 bbl. of oil per day, along with 120 million cu. ft. of gas and 57 bbl. of water. The company drilled two horizontal legs in the Mississippian Sherwood C and D zones. The company, which is being merged into Westport Resources, has also staked the Sadowsky Trust #2-10H in Section 10 of the same township. 5 Casper firm True Oil has made an indicated Mission Canyon discovery at the Evanson #21-24, Section 24-148n-191w, McKenzie County, N.D. The wildcat, projected to 10,000 ft. in Mississippian, was successfully drillstem-tested from the Mission Canyon at a depth near 9,200 ft., reports The Rocky Mountain Oil Journal. An undetermined amount of oil was recovered from the well, which is now shut in waiting on completion tools. The location is midway between Red Wing Creek and Buffalo Wallow fields. 6 Five 7,000-ft. Tertiary Fort Union tests have been permitted in Wyoming's central Wind River Basin by Denver operator Key Production Co. Inc., reports IHS Energy. The wells, all in Fremont County, 36n-94w, are the #11-34 Upmann-Monarch in Section 34; the #2 Upmann 11-34 in Section 34; the #44-29 Cuaba-Exclusivo in Section 29; the #24-28 Punch Punch in Section 28; and the #22-27 Montecristo-A in Section 27. The locations are from one to three miles west of the southwestern edge of Fuller Reservoir Field, which produces from Fort Union. 7 The June 1, 2001, lease sale held by the Wyoming office of the Bureau of Land Management drew high bids of $3,088,796 for 140 parcels covering 138,088 acres, reports IHS Energy. The top bid per acre was made by Hanson & Strahn Inc., Cheyenne, for an 80-acre lease in Section 19-29n-106w, Sublette County. Although there are no producing wells in that township, it lies six miles east of Jonah Field. 8 Denver-based Barrett Resources, soon to be merged with Tulsa firm The Williams Cos., has completed a deep gas producer in its Waltman Field in Wyoming's Wind River Basin. The #9-13 Bullfrog Unit, Section 13-36n-87w, Natrona County, flowed 1.4 million cu. ft. of gas and 143 bbl. of water per day from perforations between 17,914-18,261 ft. The producer extends the field's subthrust Cretaceous Frontier production a mile southwest. 9 An exploratory test completed by Yates Petroleum Corp. in the Red Desert Basin flowed 4.6 million cu. ft. of gas, 61 bbl. of condensate and 38 bbl. of water per day from Cretaceous reservoirs. The #1 Trestle-Federal, Section 14-20n-96w, Sweetwater County, is producing from the Tipton sand member of the Lewis and the Almond and Ericson members of the Mesaverde, from intervals between 7,710-17 ft. and 8,754-9,123 ft., respectively. The location is a mile southwest of the western flank of Wamsutter Field. Yates is headquartered in Artesia, N.M. 10 Gasco Energy Inc., Denver, says that Phillips Petroleum Co. is currently drilling one well and will soon spud another in its Riverbend Project, Uintah County, Utah. The #1 Federal 24-7, Section 7-10s-18e, is projected to 12,700 ft. in Cretaceous Mesaverde. The wildcat is 3.5 miles northeast of an unnamed Mesaverde field. The company will also drill the #1 Federal 34-29, a confirmation to the #1 Federal 31-29, which is completed and is waiting on pipeline connection. No test results have been released on that discovery. Gasco has a 15% interest in the Mesaverde interval in the project area. 11 Bakersfield, Calif.-based Bonanza Creek Oil Co. LLC reports that it has successfully completed two Cretaceous wells in Adams County, Colo. The Sauvage #11-7, Section 7-1s-67w, was drilled to a total depth of 8,670 ft. and completed in the Dakota for a initial potential of 800,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. The North Colorado Blvd #6, a recompletion in Section 13 of the same township, was fracture-stimulated in the Codell zone at 8,000 ft. That test was gauged at a rate exceeding 200 bbl. of oil and 550,000 cu. ft. of gas per day. The operator plans further work in the area. 12 IHS Energy reports that Kimball, Neb., independent Evertson Operating Co. has completed a producer in western Nebraska's Kleinholz Field. The #2 Camin, Section 33-15n-56w, Kimball County, is producing from the Wykert member of the Permian Wolfcamp between 8,018-28 ft. The well is on the north flank of the field. 13 Denver firm Forest Oil Corp. has completed an offset to its Redoubt Shoal Field discovery in Alaska's Cook Inlet. The #2 Redoubt Shoal, Section 14-7n-14w, Seward Meridian, flowed 1,170 bbl. of oil per day from two Hemlock intervals. The 15,325-ft. well encountered approximately 452 ft. of net pay. The well was directionally drilled from the Osprey platform to a bottomhole location in Section 19-7n-13w. Forest, which holds a 100% working interest in the well, plans to spud a third test immediately. The company says that it expects first production from the field, which it estimates at more than 50 million bbl. of recoverable oil, by year-end 2002. 14 Phillips Alaska Inc. plans to build a gas pipeline from its Lone Creek gas discovery on the west side of Cook Inlet to Marathon Oil Co.'s Beluga pipeline, reports IHS Energy. The #1 Lone Creek, Section 18-12n-11w, Seward Merdian, was completed by Phillips and Anadarko Petroleum in 1998. Initial potential was 10.6 million cu. ft. of gas per day from a 53-ft. interval in the Tertiary Upper Tyonek interval at about 2,400 ft. The six-mile, 6-in. gas line will be completed by year-end. 15 The Alaska Venture Capital Group LLC has applied with the state for the approval of the Sakonowyak River Exploration Unit on the North Slope. The unit is in Gwydyr Bay, south of Northstar and north of Prudhoe Bay. BP Exploration (Alaska) is the unit operator; BP has a 62% working interest in the proposed unit, and AVCG holds the remaining 38%. The initial plan of exploration proposes drilling a wildcat, the #1 Sak River, on the eastern side of the 11,520-acre unit. Projected total depth is 8,600 ft.