Technology targets vast gas supplies. (Petroleum and Gas).(Brief Article)

"Deeper" and "smarter" will likely be the watchwords of America's natural gas industry in the coming years. Already, more than 70 percent of gas produced in the continental United States comes from wells deeper than 5,000 feet. But in the not-too-distant future, as America's demand for clean-burning natural gas increases, drillers will likely be required to probe much deeper--perhaps 15,000 feet or more beneath the earth's surface where an estimated 125 trillion cubic feet of unclaimed natural gas is thought to be trapped.

To help develop the high-tech drilling tools,