Range Resources  RRC -  Range Resources RRC recently provided an update on the Huron Shale located in Virginia - The Appalachian Division continued development of its 350,000 (235,000 net) acre position in Virginia during the third quarter of 2011. Range owns the gas rights on 216,000 royalty acres of this position and receives the added economic benefit of the royalty for wells drilled on this acreage. The division averaged three drilling rigs running in the quarter with activity focused on tight gas sand and horizontal drilling projects in Nora. The division drilled 10 (10 net) vertical and 10 (10 net) horizontal wells in the quarter. The horizontal wells targeted the Huron Shale and Berea Sandstone in the Nora field. Over the past three years, Range has continued to optimize horizontal drilling operations in these formations by reducing the number of drilling days and corresponding well cost while at the same time increasing lateral length by 30%. With increased lateral length, Range has also increased the number of frac stages per well to effectively stimulate the formation. The initial 30-day average production from these longer laterals is 40% higher than the average of earlier drilled horizontals. Through longer laterals and more frac stages, we have improved our estimated ultimate recoveries from about 1 Bcf per well up to 1.3 Bcf per well while keeping our cost at $1.2 million. Also in the quarter, Range performed seven recompletions of behind-pipe pays in its continued efforts to maximize production on existing wells.

CNX Gas  CXG -  Huron Shale: In the Huron Shale during the third quarter, CNX Gas drilled one additional horizontal well in eastern Kentucky. A total of two Huron wells have been drilled in 2008. The rig performing this drilling has returned to Tennessee to drill Chattanooga Shale wells for the remainder of the year. CNX Gas is building out gathering and compression in this area, with an expected in-service date of March 2009.  CNX Gas has 198,000 net acres in the Huron Shale.

Chesapeake Energy  CHK -  Cheasapeake announces it is drilling in the Huron Shale -  Marcellus and Lower Huron Shales (Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York): Chesapeake owns a leasehold position of 1.6 million net acres in the Marcellus and Lower Huron Shale plays. The company has drilled 26 vertical and horizontal Marcellus and Lower Huron Shale wells to date and plans to drill approximately 165 vertical and horizontal Marcellus and Lower Huron Shale wells in 2008 and 2009.