The central part of the Appalachian Basin has had a long history of oil and gas production in the Pocahontas Basin of southwestern Virginia, southern West Virginia, and eastern Kentucky; and in several areas in the northern part of the Appalachian Basin in Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia, and Ohio. In the Appalachian Basin, CBM is produced from bituminous coal beds of Pennsylvanian age as a safety measure in advance of underground mining. CBM is produced after underground mining from fractured rock wastes (gob) and especially from the breakdown of roof rock generated by longwall mining. CBM can also be produced from unmined coal beds. Summit Appalachia Operating Company operates coalbed methane wells in both Virginia and West Virginia.
