ConocoPhillips began ramping up in South Texas not long after acquiring Burlington Resources. The following was taken from an Eagle Ford fact sheet over two years ago:

The conception of Eagle Ford started as a play off of a deal between Burlington Resources and Texas Crude. When ConocoPhillips acquired Burlington, the company began seeing well results in the area that enticed it to acquire more acreage, hence the birth of the ConocoPhillips Eagle Ford asset.

"ConocoPhillips was fortunate to acquire a strong position with low acreage costs in the Eagle Ford, one of the best shale plays in the county, before industry attention in that area became so intense," said Don Hrap, president, ConocoPhillips Americas. "When early results pointed toward a good opportunity to capture resource, the decision to ramp up was obvious."

With encouragement from top management in November 2009, Eagle Ford development was a go, and there was no looking back.

Read the full release at conocophillips.com