News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oil and gas production in Oklahoma in 1998 was lower than production in 1997, Oklahoma Corporation Commission statistics reveal.

Oil production totaled 77,796,579 barrels, down 6.96 percent from production of 83,617,152 barrels in 1997. It was the lowest annual production since 1914, when 73,632,000 barrels were produced, and the 14th consecutive year of declining oil production, from 168,604,000 barrels in 1984.

Gas production was 1.649 trillion cubic feet, down 4.68 percent from 1997 production of 1.730 trillion cubic feet. It was the lowest total of annual gas production since 1.606 trillion cubic feet were produced in 1968, and the fifth year of declining production since 2.016 trillion cubic feet were produced in 1993.

Oil or gas production, or both, occurred in 70 of the state's 77 counties. Adair, Cherokee, Delaware and Ottawa counties, in northeastern Oklahoma, and Choctaw, McCurtain and Pushmataha counties, in extreme southeastern Oklahoma, had no petroleum production.

Carter County led oil production with 10,005,101 barrels. Stephens County ranked second with 7,273,125 barrels. Together, the adjoining counties in south-central Oklahoma provided 22.2 percent of the state's oil production in 1998.

The other eight top-ten oil-producing counties were Grady, 6,171,883 barrels; Osage, 4,204,988 barrels; Texas, 3,967,321 barrels; Garvin, 3,896,104 barrels; Pontotoc, 2,769,833 barrels; Creek, 2,649,083 barrels; Caddo, 2,596,901 barrels; Major, 2,426,499 barrels.

Roger Mills County led gas production with 152.9 billion cubic feet. Latimer County ranked second with 138.8 billion cubic feet. The other top-ten gas-producing counties were Texas, 111.9 bcf; Grady, 97.8 bcf; Caddo, 93.9 bcf; Custer, 81.0 bcf; Pittsburg, 75.1 bcf; Washita, 68.2 bcf; Beaver, 66.5 bcf; Beckham, 63.9 bcf.

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