Forest Oil increases Barnett holdings in Hill and Erath Counties to 20K Acres

Forest Oil getting ready to hit Hill and Erath counties HARD!
Forest Oil Announces Operatorship of the Katy Field and Acceleration of Barnett Shale Program
DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 2, 2006--Forest Oil Corporation (NYSE:FST) (Forest or the Company) today announced two transactions which will comprise additional building blocks of Forest's 2007 capital program beyond the "Big Three" properties. On August 1, 2006, Forest assumed operatorship of the Katy Field, located in Waller, Fort Bend and Harris Counties, Texas from Exxon Mobil and, separately, executed an exploration joint venture agreement with a third party increasing Forest's current gross acreage to 20,000 in the prolific Barnett Shale primarily in Hill and Erath Counties, Texas.
Katy Field (52% Working Interest)

Barnett Shale (48-100% Working Interest)
Forest has recently increased its gross acreage position to approximately 20,000 acres in the Barnett Shale play in North Texas through the execution of an exploration joint venture agreement with a third party for its acreage in Hill County which covers approximately 14,000 acres as well as ongoing leasing activity. The acreage is located primarily in Hill and Erath Counties with 3-D seismic over a portion of the acreage. The first horizontal well in Hill County was spud in July, 2006. After this initial well and further evaluation of the acreage, Forest anticipates developing an active drilling program in this area in 2007.