They've been among the top five [natural gas] producers in West Virginia for years."
Cabot also announced Thursday that Thomas Liberatore, the eastern region's vice president, has resigned.
In 1992, Cabot closed its regional headquarters in Charleston and moved the office to Pittsburgh. Eight years later, the company reversed course and returned the regional headquarters to Charleston.
In 2005, Cabot started running tests in Southern West Virginia for future gas wells in the Marcellus Shale formation.
Last year, Cabot challenged a decision by the Manchin administration to reject the company's plan to drill nearly three dozen new natural gas wells inside Chief Logan State Park. Cabot holds lease agreements for gas under the 3,600-acre park.
Cabot's lawyer's filed a petition in Logan County, asking a judge to overturn the Department of Environmental Protection's decision to deny the company a drilling permit. The lawsuit is still pending.
The company drilled its first gas well in West Virginia -- in Calhoun County -- in 1899.
"Cabot's been here forever," Carper said. "They've been a mainstay. Their history is rich and longstanding."
Cabot, an independent natural gas and oil producer, also has significant operations in Texas, Louisiana, the Rocky Mountain region and western Canada.
Natural gas prices have dropped significantly in recent months, forcing companies to restructure and scale back operations.
Nonetheless, Dinges said Thursday he remains optimistic about the future of natural gas.
"When all the rhetoric ends, the result will be a desire for a clean energy resource readily available in the United States that can meet the energy demands of a growing nation. Natural gas meets all the criteria, and is the most immediate solution to a clean energy source. That is why I am optimistic that reality will rule ultimate energy policy."
@tag:Reach Eric Eyre at ericeyre@wvgazette.com or 304-348-4869.
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