The unique characteristic that sets the Haynesville Shale apart from all other shale-gas plays in the world is it's pressure. When Chesapeake first announced the play, and the awesome rate of return that it offered, most shale-gas operators were committed (via lease terms) to the Barnett Shale. The new Haynesville Shale wells had such high Initial Production rates that they were paying for 100% of drilling, leasing, and pipeline cost in as little as 21 days of production. Many Operators took a loss on their Barnett assets or let leases expire because they were moving their contracted rigs east to exploit the Haynesville Shale.