ExxonMobil's third quarter 2009 earnings were $4.7 billion a reduction of $10.1 billion from the third quarter of 2008 reflecting a sharp reduction in commodity prices and weaker demand.

Third quarter 2008 earnings included a gain of $1.6 billion on the sale of our German gas transportation business and the charge of a $170 million per interest related to the Valdez litigation.

Exxon Continues to evaluate work on its extensive acreage position in the Horn River Basin in Canada. Following the successful drilling campaign last winter, it has begun a second comprehensive multi-well program, beginning with our first horizontal well in the play.

In Hungry, testing operations continued in order to assess tight-gas play opportunities in the Mako Trough and are evaluating the results gathered so far. The company is also planning further testing operations in Békés Basin.

In Germany, it continues to gather coordinated to further assess the shale gas potential of the Lower Saxony Basin. In addition, in the states of our Lower Saxony and Northline West Friesland (ph). It has acquired licenses covering approximately 2 million net acres in a perspective Coal-bed Methane Play. The company will begin a core whole drilling program there next year.

The company has also established a significant onshore acreage position in Poland, where it believes there are significant shale gas potential. Most recently, it was awarded the Whitney license (ph) in the Fudlacy basin (ph), which brought r total net acreage to over 1 million acres. Initial work programs will begin next year.

These additional unconventional gas resource acquisitions demonstrate ExxonMobil's commitment to gain early access to diverse high quality resources globally.