To address the Village of Idiots Wizard's concern.
-But even Exxon's breakthrough technology might not give the company an advantage in unconventional gas for long. Oil-field service crews contracted to do the work often pass along information so that other companies quickly develop similar techniques. "This stuff doesn't remain proprietary," says Charles Stanley, head of Salt Lake City-based Questar Corp., which uses a version of multizone technology in a Wyoming gas field.
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