The CSD District 20 report includes Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Three dry holes were drilled in Maryland testing the Oriskany Formation in the Artemas area, Allegany County. The total footage drilled during the year amounted to 14,665 ft.

The Silurian "Clinton" Sandstone was the prime target for drilling activity in Ohio during 1968. Approximately 74% of all new wells drilled were completed in this formation. A new record depth for gas production in the state was set when a gas discovery was made in the Lower Ordovician Beekmantown Dolomite in Knox Township, Columbiana County. The initial open flow amounted to 14,500 MCFGD after the second acid treatment in the producing interval of 8,094-8,114 ft. Other areas of interest were in Guernsey County where production was established from the Silurian "Clinton" Sandstone and in Meigs County where a wildcat found a large volume of gas in the Silurian Newburg Formation. Total new footage drilled was 4,443,138.

Pennsylvania had 2 Onondaga Chert-Oriskany Sandstone gas discoveries and 2 oil discoveries in the Venango Group (Upper Devonian). A Rager Mountain field development well in Cambria County had a natural IP of 40,000 MCFGD from the Onondaga Chert-Oriskany Sandstone section. Most of the activity was in three areas: (1) in central-western Pennsylvania where 142 development gas wells (Upper Devonian) were completed, (2) in Warren County where the Glade Sandstone is the prime target, (3) and in Venango County where 2 wells in the Venango second sandstone had IP of 105 and 150 b/d. Near the year end an Upper Devonian gas development in Fayette County was underway. A total of 1,834,131 ft were drilled.

In Virginia, 6 wells were completed with a combined total of 26,630 ft. A location was made in eastern Highland County for an Oriskany (or deeper) test to be drilled early in 1969. Also, the United Fuel Gas Company made 4 locations in Buchanan County which are scheduled for drilling during 1969. Two wells in Tazewell County had a total gas open flow of 1,184 Mcf.

Four major areas of activity dominated drilling in West Virginia. Continued high interest in the Newburg gas play dominated deep drilling. Rocky Fork (Newburg gas) in Kanawha and Putnam Counties became the largest active gas field in the state. The first commercial Silurian oil was discovered in the Newburg in Jackson County. The eastern Huntersville Chert-Oriskany Sandstone gas trend remained active, with continued development and exploratory successes in Monongalia, Preston, and Mineral Counties. Steady development and exploratory drilling continued in the Riley-Benson gas trend in Braxton, Lewis, Upshur, Barbour, and Harrison Counties. The large shallow Big Injun producing area in north-central West Virginia registered moderate to light drilling. Big Injun oil development drilling ontinued in northern Kanawha County and declined in Roane County. Areas of lesser activity include several shallow gas discoveries in Ohio County and new discoveries of "Devonian shale" production in Ritchie and Pleasants Counties. Lewis and Upshur Counties each reportedly had 1 Huntersville Chert-Oriskany Sandstone gas discovery.