Show Drilling rig employment up 16 in Rocky Mountain r region gion While the early weeks of a year are often among the slowest in the Rocky Mountain Region the need for new reserves and a run of favorable weather has apparently altered the pattern according to the latest tabulations made by Petroleum Information Corporation regional oil and gas drilling reporting service AVERAGE RIG lUG employment through the first 10 weeks of the year was an improvement of 16 per cent as compared with 1973 when early strength was also in evidence The year opened with rigs at work in inthe inthe inthe the mountain states stales The count rose to January 21 dipped to the following week has not been below since On March 11 rotaries employed in the region numbered numbered numbered num num- to equal the years year's average to date This is 31 more than on the comparable date a year ago In Utah Carlton Stowe minerals specialist Utah Geological and Mineral Survey reports latest Hughes Tool Independent Association of Drilling Contractors figure reveal a total of 41 rigs at work a drop of one compared to the figure this time last year However 26 wells have been drilled in Utah thus far this year compared to an equal amount covering the same period in 1973 DEEP DRILLING in the continues to play a strong role with nearly an eighth of the rigs employed on tests scheduled to feet or more Many of these are located in the Bluebell Altamont-Bluebell field area of Duchesne County Most significant of the deep tests is the Chevron Oil Company Company's scheduled foot loot Weber sand test in the Red Wash field the No CUnit 44 Chevron is drilling below feet a at t the test lest OTHER UI DEEP IW drilling projects in Utah include a scheduled foot loot test southeast of Manti ManU in Sanpete County Phillips Petroleum is drilling at nt feet at the well No Nil I 1 U U. U SK Sl The projected foot fact deep test In the Coalville area of Summit County by American Quasar Inc and North Central Oil is drilling below feet It is the No 1 l Newton Sheep County In the Island area south of the town of Ouray in Uintah County Continental Oil is drilling below feet at their scheduled foot test of the Dakota formation No 13 1 |