Located in southeastern Oklahoma, the Woodford shale play has been drilled for about 10 years. Only the Barnett shale in Texas has been producing natural gas longer than the Woodford shale. Devon Energy drilled the first well into the Woodford shale formation in 2005, and since then numerous petroleum companies have acquired acreage and launched their own drilling programs. Current estimates are that the Woodford shale holds approximately 4 tcf of natural gas.

Of the numerous companies drilling in the Woodford shale, Houston-based Newfield Exploration and Oklahoma City-based Devon are the largest producers. Both companies have sold off much of their offshore assets in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere in order to focus their attention on unconventional resources such as the Woodford and other shale plays