>...when the "it" hits the fan we will be smiling.

Rex already has a big smile on his face in this Feb 2009 Exxon Europe brochure

www.exxonmobil.com/UK-English/files/exxonmobil_in_europe.pdf

Unlocking tight gas: a technological breakthrough

Large quantities of natural gas are trapped in tight underground rock reservoirs throughout Europe. For decades, it was simply uneconomical to develop this gas, even though energy companies knew it was there.

Today, major advances in drilling technology enable us to unlock these resources. By using advanced hydraulic fracturing technology, we can create single or multiple
cracks in the reservoir rock which, in turn, create pathways for the trapped gas to reach the wellbore and, ultimately, the surface.

Tight gas development in Germany is an excellent example of a new technology creating economical production from previously inaccessible resources.