The Fruitland coal bed methane (CBM) development was pioneering in several ways. When ARCO began evaluating the potential for CBM in the San Juan in the mid-1980's, the only clearly commercial CBM production was in the Black Warrior Basin in Alabama. In light of the lack of information about how Fruitland wells might perform, there was considerable skepticism about the ability of San Juan coals to deliver worthwhile volumes of gas. As odd as it may seem today, in light of the tremendous success of Fruitland coal wells, Bill and his colleagues had to prove CBM commerciality using pilots, extensive experimentation with drilling, completion and production techniques and ultimately a few early successes.

ARCO Fruitland Coal Bed Methane Project

Bill played a central role in these commercialization efforts by:

• estimating the economic and reserve potential (large) of Fruitland coal gas development
• designing the first well plans for the pilots, including drilling procedures, stimulation ("fracs"), and completion/artificial lift systems
• engaging extensively with tribal, county, state, and federal regulators to address the host of issues inevitable when applying new concepts. He testified several times in front of the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission about spacing, Fruitland commercial potential, and the need for additional gas export capacity.
• interacting closely with ARCO research personnel to develop simulation models that accurately captured the unique reservoir properties of coals
• guiding the internal discussions of the coal bed tax credits, especially the operational implications of accelerated development in the face of considerable well performance uncertainty
• assisting gas contract negotiations
• developing the capital and operating cost estimates, production profiles, and economics for use in the Authorization of Expenditure (AFE)
• preparing the Authorization for Expenditures (AFE's) for the first several hundred wells
• coordinating the approval process through ARCO Oil and Gas and ARCO corporate
• serving as project coordinator by aligning the efforts of personnel from major projects, operations, geoscience, etc. as the project moved into active development