Free Republic

 SEPTEMBER 2013 Vol. 234 No.9 ShaleTech NIOBRARA INDEPENDENTS UNRAVEL PLAY, HIKE LIQUIDS PRODUCTION JIM REDDEN, Contributing Editor A rig drills for oil in Colorado’s liquids-rich basins against the backdrop of the Rocky Mountain range. Source: Colorado Geological Survey. While the byzantine Niobrara shale that underlies a substantial portion of the U.S. Rockies, and beyond, is not for the technologically skittish, recent production data suggest that the resolute independents, who dominate the liquids-rich play, are steadily getting a handle on its unrivaled geological complexities.Even though the multi-horizon Niobrara may have a long way to go, to reach its earlier billing as...