The Father of Shale Gas
Our cover story on the vast amounts of natural gas trapped in shale deposits in the northeastern United States ("Natural Gas Changes the Energy Map," November/December 2009) prompted one reader to write in about the person who pioneered the techniques that now make extracting that gas economically viable.

David Rotman's article was informative and thoughtful but had one glaring deficiency. There is just a single line referring to the fact that the crucial drilling techniques were developed in Texas, but the vast gas reserves in the Northeast are accessible thanks entirely to 17 years of drilling experimentation led by George Mitchell and his company, Mitchell Energy and Development. Mitchell didn't put the gas there, but he showed how to get it out. Leaving his name out of the article is like having an article on the theory of relativity that leaves out the name Einstein and instead briefly mentions some contributions made in the Swiss Patent Office.
William H. Bassichis
College Station, TX