The total number of wells drilled in West Virginia in 1956 reported to January 28, 1957, was 809, an increase of 67, or 9.1%. Permits to drill or deepen totaled 792, a decrease of 21, or 2.6%. Abandoned during the year were 140 gas wells and 122 oil wells, or a total of 262 wells. These abandonments are all wells drilled before permits were required (May, 1929). No information about exact number of abandonments of wells drilled since May, 1929, is available as these wells are abandoned under original drilling permit numbers. Wells completed were: gas, 519; oil, 58; oil and gas, 63; storage, water-injection, brine, and pressure wells, 36; dry holes, 133; total, 809. Compared with 1955, gas wells increased 59, or 12.9%; oil wells increased 11, or 23.4%; oil and gas wells in reased 12, or 23.5%; storage and other wells increased 5, or 16.1%; dry holes decreased 11, or 7.1%. Depth of wells completed ranged from 110 to 8,030 ft., compared with 445 to 13,331 ft. in 1955. Total footage drilled (2,200,103) increased 273,727 ft., or 14.2% over 1955 (1,926,376 ft.). The average depth of wells (2,720 ft.) increased 88 ft. over the 1955 average (2,632 ft.), or 3.3%. The total initial daily open flow of the gas wells was 622,546 MCF, an increase of 232,304 MCF, or 59.5% over the 1955 total (390,242 MCF). The size of the gas wells ranged from 11 to 25,000 MCF, compared with 5 to 22,000 MCF in 1955. The total daily initial oil was 2,432½ bbls., an increase of 555½ bbls. over 1955 (1,877 bbls.), or 29.6%. The size of the oil wells ranged from ½ to 300 bbls daily, compared with 1 to 300 bbls. in 1955. The number of wells drilling or unreported if completed at the end of the year was 283, 34 less than in 1955, a decrease of 10.7%. Letters were sent to 187 operators regarding 407 wells not reported. Replies were received from 110 operators (58.8%) regarding 296 wells (72.7%), leaving 77 operators (41.2%) unheard from regarding 111 wells (27.3%). The average size of gas wells was 1,132 MCF, compared with 840 MCF in 1955, an increase of 292 MCF, or 34.75%. The average size of the oil wells was 27 bbls., compared with 24.5 bbls. in 1955, an increase of 2.5 bbls., or 10.2%. Preliminary estimates of production for 1956: gas, 210,000,000 MCF; compared with 192,000,000 MCF for 1955, or 18,000,000 MCF, an increase of 9.37%; oil, 2,200,000 bbls., a d crease of 100,000 bbls. under the 1955 estimate (2,300,000 bbls.), or 4.35%. The estimated number of producing wells at the end of 1956: gas, 14,520; oil, 12,773. The table of operations gives statistics by counties.