• Newfield Exploration Co., Houston, plans to acquire EEX Corp., Houston, for $640 million in stock and assumption of debt. The combined company will have reserves of 1.3 trillion cu. ft. of gas equivalent, 82% gas. For more on this deal, see "Deeper Roots" in this issue. • Quantum Energy Partners, Houston, and Chuck Perrin have formed Rockford Energy Partners LLC, Tulsa, Okla., to acquire, exploit and produce in the Midcontinent, primarily in Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Quantum is committing $15 million in cash to the new company, and Rockford managers are committing an undisclosed sum. Management consists of Perrin, president and chief executive officer; Robert W. Von Rhee, vice president, geology; Thomas E. Boullt Jr., vice president, reservoir engineering; and Susan C. Keary, director of accounting. Perrin and Von Rhee were formerly with Sapient Energy Corp., which was purchased by Chesapeake Energy Corp. in December 2001. Boullt was with Apache Corp. in Houston and Tulsa. Rockford will primarily focus on acquiring operated long-life gas reserves in the Midcontinent in $5- to $50-million deals. • CH Petroleum LLC, Oklahoma City, has been formed by the combination of Cleary Petroleum Corp. oil and gas properties and those of Holmes Oil Co., Philadelphia. Holmes Oil held nonoperated interests in more than 250 properties in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Alabama and Canada. Cleary Petroleum owns interests in and operates 25 oil and gas wells in Oklahoma and Kansas and holds nonoperated interests in 36 additional wells in those states. • The Houston Exploration Co. has acquired producing and undeveloped properties in four fields in Webb, Jim Hogg, Wharton and Calhoun counties in Texas from subsidiaries of Burlington Resources Inc. for $48.1 million. • Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, has acquired Canaan Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, for $18 per share in cash, for a total deal value of $118 million. Canaan's proved reserves are mainly in the Midcontinent and are estimated at 100 billion cu. ft. of gas equivalent, 91% gas. • Colorado Interstate Gas Co., a unit of El Paso Corp., Houston, plans to sell its interests in producing properties and related contracts in Panhandle Field of Texas, southwest Kansas and Oklahoma for $113 million to Pioneer Natural Resources USA Inc. • XTO Energy Inc., Fort Worth, Texas, closed on its $101-million purchase of coalbed-methane properties in the Powder River Basin, Wyo. and Mont., from CMS Oil and Gas Co. • Santos Americas and Europe Corp. has acquired Esenjay Exploration Inc. in a deal valued at $50.5 million. Esenjay's assets, mainly in Texas, included total proved reserves at year-end 2001 of 18.3 billion cu. ft. of gas equivalent. • KCS Energy Inc., Houston, plans to sell noncore properties for $26.8 million, including more than 300 wells in five states and estimated reserves of 20.9 billion cu. ft. equivalent of gas. • Maynard Oil Co., Dallas, and Plantation Petroleum Holdings LLC plan to merge. Maynard stockholders will receive $17 in cash per share. • Gasco Energy Inc., Denver, acquired 62,276 net acres in the Greater Green River Basin, Wyo., bringing its holdings to 128,175 net acres, from Shama Zoe LP for 9.5 million shares valued at $1.93 each, for a total deal value of $18.34 million. • Delta Petroleum Corp., Denver, has acquired all of Radnor, Penn.-based Castle Energy Corp.'s domestic assets for $18.2 million cash and 9.6 million common shares. • Remington Oil and Gas Corp., Dallas, has sold nine nonoperated producing wells in south Texas for approximately $8 million. The wells produce approximately 3.5 million cu. ft. of gas equivalent, net, per day.