Selling the gas wasn’t a problem; local utilities and industrial customers were eager to sign long-term contracts that guaranteed them a steady supply of gas. And they were willing to pay a price that was higher than the spot-market price—sometimes twice as much—for that security. The problem was persuading the people who controlled the supply of natural gas—the producers—to get on board. Although there were daily fluctuations on the spot market, natural-gas prices remained deeply depressed. But natural-gas producers were wildcatters at heart, and they had the wildcatter’s mentality: tomorrow
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