BURLINGTON RESOURCES INC. Houston, Texas Canadian Push Fuels Sales At Gas Producer.(A)

Byline: KIRK SHINKLE

Like most other North American natural gas producers, Burlington Resources Inc. looks to maintain growth by targeting fields that will be there for the long haul.

It's a slow and steady approach that the company says should boost annual production 3% to 8% a year. This year, Burlington will be near the low end of that range, analysts say. As years pass, however, it should inch closer to the high end.

There's plenty of demand for natural gas. Even as North American production ticks up, supplies remain tight. That's partly because cold weather and high usage have led to low inventories.

A lack of drilling capacity hasn't helped, either.

"We've had a view for some time that North American gas was going to be …