In 1978, 482 wells were completed in New York. In known oil and gas fields, 161 oil and 195 gas wells were completed. Gas well completions were down 20% from 1977 because of a lack of pipeline capacity in the far southwestern part of the state.

Exploratory drilling resulted in 13 new gas-field discoveries, 1 deeper pool gas discovery, and 15 extensions to known gas fields. All the discoveries are in the Silurian Medina Sandstone in the western part of the state. The deeper pool discovery is in the Devonian Oriskany Sandstone in western New York. One extension was to an Ordovician Queenston field in central New York and the rest were extensions to Medina fields in the western part of the state.

In a dry Medina test in Allegany County, a 1,652-ft Devonian black shale core was cut. In eastern New York, Gulf drilled a deep wildcat which was dry.

Oil production in 1978 was 852,462 bbl and gas production amounted to 13,000 MMcf. The price for New York stripper crude held steady at $14.77/bbl during 1978. Gas prices varied up to $2.25/Mcf.

During 1978, 70 crew-weeks of reflection seismograph work and 18 crew-weeks of gravity work were accomplished in New York.

Leasing continued in areas of possible Medina and Queenston gas production in western and central New York; 7 state reforestation tracts totaling 12,274 acres were leased at an average price of $7.15/acre during 1978.

Exploration and development in Medina and Queenston gas-producing areas will continue. A few deep tests as well as Devonian black shale and Oriskany structural tests will be drilled in 1979. Leasing and drilling in the New York part of Lake Erie are delayed until completion of an environmental impact study.