Arkansas Business

Reynolds said at the moment the viability of the play is "impossible to tell," mainly because Southwestern has a long way to go before the technology is perfected.

"President Kennedy predicted a person on the moon by the end of the decade, and a half-dozen people were killed in doing it," Reynolds said. "You can't push the throttle for technology. They've got to figure it out. It will take the drilling of several wells, in the dozens, because they have so many options as to drilling techniques and completion techniques. Just the math alone gives them dozens of combinations available. Since nobody's ever done it before, they don't have a guide to go by, just general knowledge and general experience."

Reynolds said he hopes Southwestern and the other exploration companies in the formation find a feasible way to harvest the area's resources.

"It is premature," he said. "We wish them well. We hope they make it."