• Apache Corp., Houston, through wholly owned subsidiary Apache Canada Ltd., has completed the acquisition of producing properties and other assets in the provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and Saskatchewan from Shell Canada Ltd. for C$761 million (US$517 million) after adjustments. • McMoRan Exploration Co., New Orleans, has gained the right to explore all or parts of 90 of Texaco Inc.'s Gulf of Mexico tracts in the Outer Continental Shelf, including seven leases in state waters of Louisiana. The 391,349 gross acres of tracts are in water of 10 to 2,600 feet. Under the terms of the agreement, McMoRan must commit in excess of $100 million for exploration drilling during the next four years. The deal includes incentives to McMoRan for meeting the agreed-upon level of activity in each of the specified time periods throughout the four-year span. McMoRan will operate the tracts and may earn various interests in the exploration tracts. Texaco retains rights to participate in the opportunities McMoRan elects to drill. • HS Resources Inc., San Francisco, is buying Kinder Morgan Inc.'s gas gathering and transmission assets in the Wattenberg Field of Colorado's Denver-Julesburg Basin for approximately $72.5 million. The independent producer also acquired from KMI a right of first refusal to purchase the Wattenberg gas processing plant from BP Amoco Plc, London. HS currently operates more than 3,000 wells in the D-J Basin, nearly 1,800 of which are connected to the Wattenberg System that represent more than 65% of the system's approximately 200 million cu. ft. of total daily throughput. It began to operate the system on Dec. 1, pursuant to operating agreements by HS and KMI. • Barrett Resources Corp., Denver, is acquiring additional working interests in natural gas properties which it operates in western Colorado's Piceance Basin and the outstanding interest in a related gathering system for $72 million. The acquired interests include approximately 140 billion cu. ft. of proved gas reserves, 43% proved developed properties. The gas assets will increase Barrett's working interest in the Piceance Basin from 64% to approximately 94% and its ownership in the gathering system to 100%. Barrett is pursuing acquisition of the remaining 6% working interest in the gas properties. • Chesapeake Energy Corp., Oklahoma City, has acquired the Chitwood Field in Grady County, Okla., from privately held Ward Petroleum Corp. for $34.8 million, and finished its initial exploratory well on the property. The properties have reserves of 61 billion cu. ft. of proved natural gas equivalent. • Unocal Corp. has increased its stake in Northrock Resources Ltd., Calgary, to 47.8% with the acquisition of 2 million common shares of Unocal Canada Resources at $15 per share. • Vintage Petroleum Inc., Tulsa, has purchased producing properties and facilities in the Ventura Basin of southern California from Nuevo Energy Co. and an affiliate for $29.6 million in cash. The acquired properties consist of 13 mature onshore fields in which the company has an average working interest of 94% and will operate 90% of the wells. The properties are producing 2,190 bbl. of midgravity crude oil and natural gas liquids and 3 billion cu. ft. of gas per day. • Bravo Natural Resources Inc., Tulsa, has been formed to acquire and enhance producing oil and gas properties. The new company is backed by $26.4 million in equity provided by company management and Natural Gas Partners V LP. The company is being led by founder Charles Stephenson, as president and CEO. • Occidental Petroleum Corp., Los Angeles, and EOG Resources Inc., Houston, are exchanging assets in California and the Gulf of Mexico. Occidental is receiving producing properties and exploration acreage in California and producing properties in the western Gulf of Mexico. EOG is receiving Occidental's properties in East Texas and certain exploration rights in 312,000 acres in the Oklahoma Panhandle. • The Sugarland, Texas-based Spirit Energy 76 business unit of Unocal Corp., El Segundo, Calif., has acquired all of the Gulf of Mexico shelf assets of Tana Oil & Gas. The acquisition includes interests in 12 proven properties and nine offshore platforms. Tana has an estimated net risked resource potential of more than 18 million BOE, including more than 10 million BOE in proved reserves. Tana's estimated average production for 2000 is more than 10,000 BOE per day. • Exco Resources Inc., Dallas, is selling its interest in certain Louisiana properties for $18.7 million cash and for an $800,000 property to an unnamed purchaser. • Best Pacific Resources Ltd., Calgary, plans to sell a substantial share of a C$32.3-million Canadian acquisition the company made in September, for C$30 million. The divested properties are in southeastern Saskatchewan. Best Pacific will retain approximately 450 BOE per day of production; 1.6 million bbl. of proven and 1.7 million bbl. of probable reserves; 225,000 net acres of undeveloped land; and associated 2-D and 3-D seismic from the original transaction. • Conoco Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of Conoco Inc., Houston, has completed the purchase of gas properties from Renaissance Energy Ltd. The acquisition doubles Conoco's Canadian gas operations. The sale also included 2 million acres of land, of which only 500,000 acres have been explored and developed. The companies did not disclose the purchase price. • Founders Energy Ltd., Toronto, is selling assets in three separate transactions for proceeds of C$11.6 million. The divested properties include interests in the Fosterton area of southwest Saskatchewan, the Gilby Upper Manville "K" Unit oil pool, and certain low-interest unit assets in the Weyburn, Dodsland, Westerose, Trochu-Twining Huxley, Groat I and Groat II, Brazeau River, Long Coulee, Rattlesnake West Pembina, and Cygnet areas. Furthermore, the company has engaged Waterous Securities Inc. to market other nonstrategic assets in northeast British Columbia, northwest Alberta and southeast Saskatchewan. • NAL Oil & Gas Trust, Calgary, will purchase working interests in three Alberta and Saskatchewan producing areas for C$9.9 million. The acquisitions are at Sylvan Lake, Nottingham and Alida. The deals will add approximately 560 BOE per day to NAL's production. • Talisman Energy Inc., Calgary, has completed the sale of the Athabasca Oil Sands lease No. 24 to privately held, Calgary-based Deer Creek Energy Ltd. Deer Creek received financing for the acquisition and development of the prospect from Lime Rock Partners, Westport, Conn., in the amount of US$11 million. • Castle Energy Corp., Radnor, Pa., has purchased interests in approximately 100 oil and gas wells in Pennsylvania, Alabama and offshore Louisiana. The interests were acquired in three separate transactions with three different sellers, for $3.5 million. • Petroglyph Energy Inc., Hutchinson, Kan., will acquire oil and gas producing properties from III Exploration Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Intermountain Industries Inc., in an all-stock deal. Intermountain is currently the majority stockholder in Petroglyph. The acquired properties are primarily in the Uinta Basin of Utah. • Blue Dolphin Energy Co., Houston, through its subsidiary, Blue Dolphin Exploration Co., has acquired a 75% interest in American Resources Offshore Inc. for approximately $4.5 million. At the same time, American sold 80% interest in its Gulf of Mexico assets to Fidelity Oil Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of MDU Resources Group Inc. American plans to use the proceeds to retire debt. After the divestiture, American assets consist of an average 6% nonoperated working interest in eight producing properties and one proved undeveloped property, along with leasehold interests in 34 additional tracts in the Gulf of Mexico offshore Louisiana and Texas. • Callon Petroleum Co., Natchez, Miss., is acquiring a 20% working interest in the Boomslang deepwater discovery on Ewing Bank Block 994 from Santos USA Corp. for $7.3 million. After the acquisition, Callon will hold 55% interest in the prospect. The block is operated by 45%-interestholder Murphy Exploration & Production Co., a subsidiary of Murphy Oil Corp. Boomslang tested in September 1998. Callon and Murphy expect to drill a delineation well this year. • CNG Producing Co., the New Orleans-based E&P subsidiary of Consolidated Natural Gas Co., Pittsburgh, has acquired an interest in the West Broussard Field in Lafayette Parish, La. The acquired interest includes an average 42% working interest in two producing units and additional leasehold adjacent to the units. CNG's share of production is expected to be approximately 17 million cu. ft. of gas and 400 bbl. of condensate per day. • Cyprus Capital Corp., Calgary, is acquiring Everest Energy Inc., also of Calgary, for 1.25 share of Cyprus per share of Everest. The combined company is expected to operate as Everest Energy Corp. • Equity Oil Co., Salt Lake City, has acquired assets from an unidentified, private Rocky Mountain production company. The acquired assets include additional working interests in oil and gas reserves in 14 fields and 74 producing wells in the Big Horn Basin of Wyoming and Montana, giving the company working interests ranging from 21% to 100% in the fields involved. Equity will become operator of the fields. The deal includes oilfield equipment and a field office in Cody, Wyo. The acquisition will increase Equity's proved reserves by approximately 275,000 BOE. • Paladin Energy Partners LLC has acquired Rocky Mountain properties from Union Pacific Resources in Wyoming and Nebraska, including operated and nonoperated interests in more than 50 wells, a gas plant, a gas gathering system and a pipeline. The price was not disclosed. • Lake Forest, Calif.-based Nutek Inc., through its newly established subsidiary, Nutek Oil Inc., is acquiring Clipper Operating Co. for $1.4 million. Assets include Clipper's 100% working interest in the Big Foot and Koyote fields in Frio and Atascosa counties, Texas. • Occidental Petroleum Corp., Los Angeles, has acquired deep exploration rights in the Buena Vista Field in Kern County, Calif., from Chevron Corp. The field is adjacent to Occidental's Elk Hills. The company plans to integrate the acquired property with its Elk Hills properties under a single management team. The Buena Vista Field consists of 19,834 acres, bringing Occidental's total exploration acreage near Elk Hills to nearly 23,000 acres. • Petroleum Development Corp., Bridgeport, W.Va., has acquired a 100% working interest in a 7,500-acre undeveloped lease in the Grand Valley Field of the Piceance Basin in western Colorado. The lease lies between areas that have been successfully developed by Barrett Resources, Denver, and Occidental Petroleum, Los Angeles. The company plans to begin drilling on the acreage during this quarter. In a separate deal, Petroleum Development acquired the rights to drill 20 development locations in the Wattenberg Field in the Denver-Julesburg Basin, Colo., from an undisclosed company. The company will operate the wells and retain a 16% working interest in each. Petroleum Development intends to complete drilling on the 20 locations by the end of this quarter. • St. Mary Land & Exploration Co., Denver, has acquired King Ranch Energy Inc. from King Ranch Inc. Under the merger agreement, St. Mary will issue 2,666,252 common shares to King Ranch shareholders. KRE is now a wholly owned subsidiary of St. Mary and has been renamed St. Mary Energy Co. KRE's properties are primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore the Gulf Coast. • Unit Corp. and Questa Oil & Gas Co., both of Tulsa, are merging for 0.95 share of Unit per share of Questa. Questa's assets include oil and gas properties primarily in the Permian Basin of Texas and, to a lesser extent, the Anadarko Basin, Okla. At the end of 1998, Questa had proved developed oil and gas reserves of approximately 17.4 billion cu. ft. of gas equivalent, of which 87% was gas. • WolfStone Corp., Woodbridge, Calif., is acquiring 1,100 acres of proven, producing gas and oil reserves in Jones County, Texas. • EnerMark Income Fund, Calgary, plans to acquire Western Star Exploration Ltd. for cash, trust units and unit purchase warrants. Western Star assets include producing natural gas properties mostly in the Hanna, Taber and Thornbury areas of Alberta. • Icon Energy Ltd., Calgary, Blackfire Oil Inc. and Long Rig Corp. have canceled a proposed business combination. Separately, Icon intends to sell its Carrot Creek Cardium oil properties to Touchstone Petroleum Inc. • Avid Oil & Gas Ltd., Calgary, plans to take over Big Bear Exploration Ltd. for one share of Avid per 15 shares of Big Bear. The agreement also calls for the resignation of all Big Bear employees and directors, upon completion of the transaction. Griffiths McBurney & Partners acted as financial advisor to Big Bear. • Drilcorp Energy Ltd. will acquire privately held Axyn Petroleum Corp. for 1.5 million common shares of Drilcorp. Axyn properties include 100%, 55% and 9% working interests in two operated and one nonoperated well in the Swan Hills area of Alberta; a 38.1% working interest in a nonoperated producing gas well near Pembina, Alberta; and a 3.125% gross overriding royalty in a shut-in gas well at Crossfield, Alberta. • Derek Resources Corp. has acquired 1,028 additional acres adjacent to its 6,360-acre LAK Ranch oil prospect in Newcastle, Wyo., in the Powder River Basin, through federal oil leases. • Harken Energy Corp. has purchased a portion of Benz Energy Ltd.'s exploratory program for $12 million in convertible notes. Both companies are based in Houston. Benz has retained a 20% working interest that vests after pay-out of Harken's drilling costs, purchase price and cost of capital. The acquired assets include three prospects in Texas and six prospects in Mississippi. Under terms of the deal, certain exploratory staff and management of Benz, including the president and CEO, Prentis Tomlinson, resigned. Robert Herlin, the current CFO, is elected to the additional position of president and CEO. Tomlinson will continue as the non-executive chairman of the board. In addition, Benz has engaged Petrie Parkman & Co. to advise on strategic options, include the possibility of additional asset sales, capital restructuring or possible sale or merger. • Ocean Energy Inc. and Duke Energy Hydrocarbons LLC, a division of Duke Energy Corp., are forming another Gulf of Mexico joint drilling venture. Duke Energy Hydrocarbons will acquire an approximately 50% working interest in up to 14 exploratory wells and has committed approximately $70 million toward the program during 2000. Ocean Energy also purchased certain working interests held by Duke Energy Hydrocarbons in four prospects that were part of a 1999 Gulf of Mexico joint drilling venture. Production from the acquisition is anticipated to contribute an average of approximately 2,400 net BOE per day in 2000, with additional development activities planned. • Pease Oil and Gas Co., Grand Junction, Colo., and Carpatsky Petroleum Inc., Calgary, have revised the terms of their merger agreement as a result of Carpatsky's $4-million sale of Series A convertible preferred shares to Bellwether Exploration Co. Bellwether acquired 95.45 million preferred shares and warrants to acquire 12.5 million common shares of Carpatsky. The preferred shares are convertible at 8 cents each into 50 million Carpatsky common shares. Pease will issue a similar class of preferred stock to Bellwether upon consummation of the merger. Additionally, the share exchange ratio was revised so that the Pease shareholders will retain a 12.5% interest in the merged entity. Due to the investment by Bellwether, J. P. Bryan, chairman and CEO of Bellwether, has become chairman and CEO of Carpatsky and three Carpatsky directors retired and were replaced by four Bellwether appointees. • Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., Houston, has completed the acquisition of Rocky Mountain properties from Petral Explorations LLC for $8.5 million, of which $5 million was for proved and probable reserves and $3.5 million was for undeveloped acreage. The acquisition included 5.7 billion cu. ft. equivalent of proved reserves, 2.2 billion cu. ft. equivalent of probable reserves and 43,000 undeveloped acres. The assets, which are in Lincoln, Sweetwater and Uinta counties in Wyoming, include nine active wells producing 1.4 million cu. ft. equivalent per day. The undeveloped properties are adjacent to the company's existing properties on the Moxa Arch of the Green River Basin in southwest Wyoming. • Exco Resources Inc., Dallas, has completed the acquisition of assets in Natchitoches Parish, La. from Western Gas Resources Inc. for $7.8 million in cash. The assets include an interest in the Black Lake Unit and the Black Lake processing and treating facilities. Exco funded the acquisition with existing working capital. • Marathon Oil Co. has sold its 33.24% interest in the Angus/Stellaria development in the Gulf of Mexico, to Santa Fe Snyder Corp., Houston, for $160 million. Marathon's interest in the property included equity in an eight-well subsea manifold tied back to the Bullwinkle platform operated by Shell Deepwater Development Inc. and six blocks (Green Canyon 111, 112, 113, 155, 156 and 157). The development is 140 miles southeast of New Orleans. • Inland Resources Inc., Denver, has effected a one-for-10 reverse stock split, reducing the number of outstanding shares to 2.9 million. • As a part of the group's restructuring, BG Plc has formed a new holding company, the BG Group, which will be the parent of BG Energy Holdings Ltd. and Transco. BG Energy Holdings includes BG International, which handles the exploration business, while Transco is the pipeline and storage business. • Petro Well Energy Services Inc., Calgary, has changed its name to CenAlta Energy Services Inc., following its merger with CenAlta Well Services Inc. The company's stock will trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange as CEA. • Geodyne Technologies Inc. has changed its name to Geodyne Energy Inc., Calgary, to reflect the company's new focus on exploration, development and production of oil and gas in Canada and select areas worldwide.