Coterra Energy Inc. - Annual Report: 2009 (Form 10-K)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d)

OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009

Commission file number 1-10447

CABOT OIL & GAS CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Three Memorial City Plaza 840 Gessner Road, Suite 1400 Houston, Texas 77024

(Address of principal executive offices including ZIP code)

(281) 589-4600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes x    No ¨

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes ¨    No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes x    No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes x    No ¨

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K [            ].

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

(Do not check if a smaller reporting company)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes ¨    No x

The aggregate market value of Common Stock, par value $.10 per share (“Common Stock”), held by non-affiliates as of the last business day of registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter (based upon the closing sales price on the New York Stock Exchange on June 30, 2009) was approximately $3.2 billion.

As of February 22, 2010, there were 103,821,454 shares of Common Stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held April 27, 2010 are incorporated by reference into Part III of this report.

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The statements regarding future financial and operating performance and results, strategic pursuits and goals, market prices, future hedging activities, and other statements that are not historical facts contained in this report are forward-looking statements. The words “expect,” “project,” “estimate,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “budget,” “plan,” “forecast,” “predict,” “may,” “should,” “could,” “will” and similar expressions are also intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, market factors, market prices (including regional basis differentials) of natural gas and oil, results of future drilling and marketing activity, future production and costs, legislative and regulatory initiatives and other factors detailed in this document and in our other Securities and Exchange Commission filings. See “Risk Factors” in Item 1A for additional information about these risks and uncertainties. If one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or if underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual outcomes may vary materially from those included in this document. See “Forward-Looking Information” for further details.

CERTAIN DEFINITIONS

The following is a list of commonly used terms and their definitions included within this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

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PART I

OVERVIEW

Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation is an independent oil and gas company engaged in the development, exploitation and exploration of oil and gas properties located in North America. In 2009, we restructured our operations by combining our Rocky Mountain and Appalachian areas to form the North Region and combining the Anadarko Basin with our Texas and Louisiana areas to form the South Region. Certain prior period amounts and historical descriptions have been reclassified to reflect this reorganization. Operationally, we now have two primary regional offices located in Houston, Texas and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

In 2009, energy commodity prices recovered from the price levels experienced during the second half of 2008. Our 2009 average realized natural gas price was $7.47 per Mcf, 11% lower than the 2008 average realized price of $8.39 per Mcf. Our 2009 average realized crude oil price was $85.52 per Bbl, 4% lower than the 2008 average realized price of $89.11 per Bbl. These realized prices include realized gains and losses resulting from commodity derivatives (zero-cost collars or swaps). For information about the impact of these derivatives on realized prices, refer to the “Results of Operations” section in Item 7 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

In 2009, our investment program totaled $640.4 million, including lease acquisition ($145.7 million) and drilling and facilities ($401.1 million) programs. Our capital spending was funded largely through cash flow from operations and, to a lesser extent, borrowings on our revolving credit facility.

We remain focused on our strategies of pursuing lower risk drilling opportunities that provide more predictable results on our accumulated acreage position. Additionally, we intend to maintain spending discipline and manage our balance sheet in an effort to ensure sufficient liquidity, including cash resources and available credit. We believe these strategies are appropriate for our portfolio of projects and the current industry environment and will continue to add shareholder value over the long-term.

In April 2009, we sold substantially all of our Canadian properties to a private Canadian company (see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details). In April 2009, we also entered into a new revolving credit facility and terminated our prior credit facility (see Note 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details).

In August 2008, we completed the acquisition of producing properties, leasehold acreage and a natural gas gathering infrastructure in east Texas (the “east Texas acquisition”). We paid total net cash consideration of approximately $604.0 million (see Note 2 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details). In order to finance the east Texas acquisition, we completed a public offering of 5,002,500 shares of our common stock in June 2008, receiving net proceeds of $313.5 million (see Note 9 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details), and we closed a private placement in July 2008 of $425 million principal amount of senior unsecured fixed rate notes (see Note 4 of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details).

On an equivalent basis, our production level in 2009 increased by 8% from 2008. We produced 103.0 Bcfe, or 282.1 Mmcfe per day, in 2009, as compared to 95.2 Bcfe, or 260.1 Mmcfe per day, in 2008. Natural gas production increased to 97.9 Bcf in 2009 from 90.4 Bcf in 2008, primarily due to increased production in the North region associated with the increased drilling program in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania as well as increased natural gas production in the South region associated with the properties we acquired in the east Texas acquisition in August 2008 and drilling in the Angie field in east Texas. Partially offsetting these production gains were decreases in production in Canada due to the sale of our Canadian properties in April 2009, as well as reduced drilling activity in Oklahoma and Wyoming. Oil production increased by 36 Mbbls from 782 Mbbls in

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2008 to 818 Mbbls in 2009 due primarily to increased production in the South region associated with the properties we acquired in the east Texas acquisition in August 2008 and an increase related to Pettet development in the Angie field, partially offset by a decrease in production in Canada due to the sale of our Canadian properties in April 2009.

For the year ended December 31, 2009, we drilled 143 gross wells (119 net) with a success rate of 95% compared to 432 gross wells (355 net) with a success rate of 97% for the prior year. In 2010, we plan to drill approximately 136 gross wells (123.9 net), focusing our capital program in the Marcellus Shale in northeast Pennsylvania and, to a lesser extent, in east Texas.

Our 2009 total capital and exploration spending was $640.4 million compared to $1.5 billion of total capital and exploration spending in 2008. In both 2009 and 2008, we allocated our planned program for capital and exploration expenditures among our various operating regions based on return expectations, availability of services and human resources. We plan to continue such method of allocation in 2010. Funding of the program is expected to be provided by operating cash flow, existing cash and increased borrowings under our credit facility, if required. For 2010, the North region is expected to receive approximately 69% of the anticipated capital program, with the remaining 31% dedicated to the South region. In 2010, we plan to spend approximately $585 million on capital and exploration activities.

Our proved reserves totaled approximately 2,060 Bcfe at December 31, 2009, of which 98% were natural gas. This reserve level was up by 6% from 1,942 Bcfe at December 31, 2008 on the strength of results from our drilling program. In 2009 we had a net downward revision of 200.1 Bcfe primarily due to (i) downward revisions of 101.6 Bcfe due to lower 2009 oil and natural gas prices compared to 2008 and (ii) downward revisions of 120.4 Bcfe due to the removal of proved undeveloped reserves scheduled for development beyond five years primarily due to the application of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) new oil and gas reserve calculation methodology, partially offset by 21.9 Bcfe of positive performance revisions.

The following table presents certain reserve, production and well information as of December 31, 2009.

Our interest in both developed and undeveloped properties is primarily in the form of leasehold interests held under customary mineral leases. These leases provide us the right, in general, to develop oil and/or natural gas on the properties. Their primary terms range in length from approximately three to ten years. These properties are held for longer periods if production is established. We own leasehold rights on approximately 2.9 million gross acres. In addition, we own fee interest in approximately 0.2 million gross acres, primarily in West Virginia. Our two largest fields, Brachfield Southeast in east Texas and Dimock in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, each contain more than 15% of our proved reserves. In addition, we are focusing significant

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drilling and production activity in the Angie field area of east Texas. These three fields combined make up approximately 43% of our proved reserves.

The following table presents certain information with respect to our principal properties as of and for the year ended December 31, 2009.

NORTH REGION

The North region is comprised of the Appalachian and Rocky Mountains areas. In April 2009, we sold substantially all of our Canadian properties to a private Canadian company. Our activities in the Appalachian area are concentrated primarily in northeast Pennsylvania and in West Virginia. Our activities in the Rocky Mountains area are concentrated in the Green River and Washakie Basins in Wyoming and the Paradox Basin in Colorado. This region is managed from our office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In this region, our assets include a large acreage position, a high concentration of wells, natural gas gathering and pipeline systems, and storage capacity.

Capital and exploration expenditures for 2009 were $380.3 million, or 60% of our total 2009 capital and exploration expenditures, compared to $483.7 million for 2008, or 32% of our total 2008 capital and exploration expenditures. This decrease in spending was substantially driven by a $69.5 million decrease in drilling and facilities costs year-over-year and the sale of our Canadian properties in April 2009. For 2010, we have budgeted approximately $402 million for capital and exploration expenditures in the region.

At December 31, 2009, we had 4,141 wells (3,536.9 net), of which 3,681 wells are operated by us. There are multiple producing intervals in the Appalachian area that include the Big Lime, Weir, Berea and Devonian (including Marcellus) Shale formations at depths primarily ranging from 950 to 9,080 feet, with an average depth of approximately 3,950 feet. In the Rocky Mountains area, principal producing intervals are in the Almond, Frontier, Dakota and Honaker Trail formations at depths ranging from 4,200 to 14,375 feet, with an average depth of approximately 10,950 feet. Average net daily production in 2009 for the North region was 136.6 Mmcfe. Natural gas and crude oil/condensate/NGL production for 2009 was 49.2 Bcf and 125 Mbbls, respectively.

While natural gas production volumes from North region reservoirs are on balance lower on a per-well basis compared to other areas of the United States, the productive life of North region reserves is relatively long. At December 31, 2009, we had 1,346.1 Bcfe of proved reserves (substantially all natural gas) in the North region, constituting 65% of our total proved reserves. Developed and undeveloped reserves made up 850.0 Bcfe and 496.1 Bcfe of the total proved reserves for the North region, respectively.

In 2009, we drilled 62 wells (59.4 net) in the North region, of which 61 wells (59.3 net) were development and extension wells. In 2010, we plan to drill approximately 100 wells (100 net), primarily in the Dimock field in northern Pennsylvania.

In 2009, we produced and marketed approximately 321 barrels of crude oil/condensate/NGL per day in the North region at market responsive prices.

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Ancillary to our exploration, development and production operations, we operated a number of gas gathering and transmission pipeline systems, made up of approximately 3,165 miles of pipeline with interconnects to three interstate transmission systems, seven local distribution companies and numerous end users as of the end of 2009. The majority of our pipeline infrastructure in West Virginia is regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) for interstate transportation service and the West Virginia Public Service Commission (WVPSC) for intrastate transportation service. As such, the transportation rates and terms of service of our pipeline subsidiary, Cranberry Pipeline Corporation, are subject to the rules and regulations of the FERC and the WVPSC. Our natural gas gathering and transmission pipeline systems enable us to connect new wells quickly and to transport natural gas from the wellhead directly to interstate pipelines, local distribution companies and industrial end users. Control of our gathering and transmission pipeline systems also enables us to purchase, transport and sell natural gas produced by third parties. In addition, we can engage in development drilling without relying upon third parties to transport our natural gas and incur only the incremental costs of pipeline and compressor additions to our system.

We have two natural gas storage fields located in West Virginia with a combined working capacity of approximately 4 Bcf. We use these storage fields to take advantage of the seasonal variations in the demand for natural gas and the higher prices typically associated with winter natural gas sales, while maintaining production at a nearly constant rate throughout the year. The storage fields also enable us to increase for shorter intervals of time the volume of natural gas that we can deliver by more than 40% above the volume that we could deliver solely from our production in the North region. The pipeline systems and storage fields are fully integrated with our operations.

The principal markets for our North region natural gas are in the northeastern and northwestern United States. We sell natural gas to industrial customers, local distribution companies and gas marketers both on and off our pipeline and gathering system. Approximately 61% of our natural gas sales volume in the North region is sold at index-based prices under contracts with terms of one to three years. In addition, spot market sales are made at index-based prices under month-to-month contracts, while industrial and utility sales generally are made under year-to-year contracts. Approximately one percent of North region production is sold on fixed price contracts that typically renew annually.

SOUTH REGION

Our development, exploitation, exploration and production activities in the South region are primarily concentrated in east and south Texas, Oklahoma and north Louisiana. A regional office in Houston manages the operations. Principal producing intervals are in the Cotton Valley, Haynesville, Pettit and James Lime formations in north Louisiana and east Texas, the Frio, Vicksburg and Wilcox formations in south Texas and the Chase, Morrow and Chester formations in the Anadarko Basin in Oklahoma at depths ranging from 1,300 to 16,970 feet, with an average depth of approximately 8,750 feet.

Capital and exploration expenditures were $237.6 million for 2009, or 37% of our total 2009 capital and exploration expenditures, compared to $1,022.3 million for 2008, or 68% of our total 2008 capital and exploration expenditures. This decrease in capital spending is primarily due to $604.0 million paid in 2008 for the east Texas acquisition and a decrease of $176.9 million in total drilling. Of the total company year-over-year decrease in capital and exploration expenditures, approximately 93% was attributable to the decrease in the South region spending. For 2010, we have budgeted approximately $181 million for capital and exploration expenditures in the region. Our 2010 South region drilling program will emphasize activity primarily in east Texas.

We had 1,753 wells (1,230.2 net) in the South region as of December 31, 2009, of which 1,342 wells are operated by us. Average daily production in 2009 was 145.5 Mmcfe. Natural gas and crude oil/condensate/NGL production for 2009 was 48.8 Bcf and 720 Mbbls, respectively.

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At December 31, 2009, we had 713.8 Bcfe of proved reserves (95% natural gas) in the South region, which represented 35% of our total proved reserves. Developed and undeveloped reserves made up 474.7 Bcfe and 239.1 Bcfe of the total proved reserves for the South region, respectively.

In 2009, we drilled 81 wells (59.2 net) in the South region, of which 75 wells (55.3 net) were development and extension wells. In 2010, we plan to drill 36 wells (24 net), primarily in east Texas, including the Minden and Angie fields.

Our principal markets for the South region natural gas are in the industrialized Gulf Coast area and the Midwestern United States. We sell natural gas to intrastate pipelines, natural gas processors and marketing companies. Currently, approximately 89% of our natural gas sales volumes in the South region are sold at index-based prices under contracts with terms of one year or greater. The remaining 11% of our sales volumes are sold at index-based prices under short-term agreements. The South region properties are connected to various processing plants in Texas and Louisiana with multiple interstate and intrastate deliveries, affording us access to multiple markets.

In 2009, we produced and marketed approximately 1,966 barrels of crude oil/condensate/NGL per day in the South region at market responsive prices.

RISK MANAGEMENT

From time to time, when we believe that market conditions are favorable, we use certain derivative financial instruments to manage price risks associated with our production in all of our regions. While there are many different types of derivatives available, in 2009 we employed natural gas and crude oil price collar and swap agreements for portions of our 2009 through 2010 production to attempt to manage price risk more effectively. In addition, we entered into natural gas basis swaps covering a portion of anticipated 2012 production, which do not qualify for hedge accounting. In 2008 and 2007, we employed price collars and swaps to hedge our price exposure on our production. The collar arrangements are put and call options used to establish floor and ceiling commodity prices for a fixed volume of production during a certain time period. They provide for payments to counterparties if the index price exceeds the ceiling and payments from the counterparties if the index price falls below the floor. The price swaps call for payments to, or receipts from, counterparties based on whether the market price of natural gas or crude oil for the period is greater or less than the fixed price established for that period when the swap is put in place.

For 2009, collars covered 48% of natural gas production and had a weighted-average floor of $9.40 per Mcf and a weighted-average ceiling of $12.39 per Mcf. For 2009, swaps covered 16% of natural gas production and 45% of crude oil production and had a weighted-average price of $12.18 per Mcf and $125.25 per Bbl, respectively.

As of December 31, 2009, we had the following outstanding commodity derivatives:

Our decision to hedge 2010 and 2012 production fits with our risk management strategy and allows us to lock in the benefit of high commodity prices on a portion of our anticipated production.

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We will continue to evaluate the benefit of employing derivatives in the future. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” for further discussion concerning our use of derivatives.

RESERVES

Current Reserves

The following table presents our estimated proved reserves at December 31, 2009.

The proved reserve estimates presented here were prepared by our petroleum engineering staff and reviewed by Miller and Lents, Ltd., independent petroleum engineers. Miller and Lents made independent estimates for 100% of the proved reserves estimated by us and concluded the following: In their judgment we have an effective system for gathering data and documenting information required to estimate our proved reserves and project our future revenues; we used appropriate engineering, geologic and evaluation principles and techniques in accordance with practices generally accepted in the petroleum industry in making our estimates and projections and our total proved reserves are reasonable. For additional information regarding estimates of proved reserves, the review of such estimates by Miller and Lents, Ltd., and other information about our oil and gas reserves, see the Supplemental Oil and Gas Information to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8. A copy of the review letter by Miller and Lents, Ltd., dated February 12, 2010, has been filed as an exhibit to this Form 10-K. Our reserves are sensitive to natural gas and crude oil sales prices and their effect on the economic productive life of producing properties. Our reserves are based on 12-month average oil and gas index prices, calculated as the unweighted arithmetic average for the first day of the month price for each month during 2009. Increases in commodity prices may result in a longer economic productive life of a property or result in more economically viable proved undeveloped reserves to be recognized. Decreases in prices may result in negative impacts of this nature.

Internal Control

Our corporate reservoir engineers report to the Director of Engineering, who maintains oversight and compliance responsibility for the internal reserve estimate process and provides oversight for the annual review of 100% our year-end reserves by our independent third party engineers, Miller and Lents, Ltd. The management of our corporate reservoir engineering group consists of three petroleum/chemical engineers, with petroleum/chemical engineering degrees and between 10 and 27 years of industry experience, between 3 and 27 years of reservoir engineering/management experience, and between 0.5 and 11 years managing our reserves. All are members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

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Qualifications of Third Party Engineers

The technical person primarily responsible for review of our reserve estimates at Miller and Lents, Ltd. meets the requirements regarding qualifications, independence, objectivity, and confidentiality set forth in the Standards Pertaining to the Estimating and Auditing of Oil and Gas Reserves Information promulgated by the Society of Petroleum Engineers. Miller and Lents, Ltd. is an independent firm of petroleum engineers, geologists, geophysicists, and petro physicists; they do not own an interest in our properties and are not employed on a contingent fee basis.

For additional information about the risks inherent in our estimates of proved reserves, see “Risk Factors—Our proved reserves are estimates. Any material inaccuracies in our reserve estimates or underlying assumptions could cause the quantities and net present value of our reserves to be overstated or understated” in Item 1A.

Proved Undeveloped Reserves

At December 31, 2009, we had 735.2 Bcfe of proved undeveloped reserves. During 2009, we converted 70.7 Bcfe of reserves from proved undeveloped to proved developed. An additional 9.6 Bcfe of reserves associated with seven wells drilled in 2009 remain proved undeveloped as a result of the additional capital required to complete the wells. During 2009, total capital related to the development of proved undeveloped reserves was $102.6 million. We had a downward revision of total proved reserves of 200.1 Bcfe primarily due to (i) downward revisions of 101.6 Bcfe due to lower 2009 oil and natural gas prices compared to 2008 and (ii) downward revisions of 120.4 Bcfe due to the removal of proved undeveloped reserves scheduled for development beyond five years primarily due to the application of the SEC’s new oil and gas reserve calculation methodology, partially offset by 21.9 Bcfe of positive performance revisions. In accordance with the new rules we priced proved oil and gas reserves using the 12-month average oil and gas index prices, calculated as the unweighted arithmetic average for the first day of the month price for each month within the 12-month period prior to the end of the reporting period.

As of December 31, 2009 we have 15.9 Bcfe of proved undeveloped reserves, representing less than 1% of our total proved reserves, that will require more than five years to develop due to coal mining operations or delays associated with an environment impact statement required to drill on federal land in Wyoming. An environmental impact study on federal land represents 1.9 Bcfe and the following table summarizes the reserves impacted by mining operations in West Virginia.

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Historical Reserves

The following table presents our estimated proved reserves for the periods indicated.

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Volumes and Prices: Production Costs

The following table presents regional historical information about our net wellhead sales volume for natural gas and crude oil (including condensate and natural gas liquids), produced natural gas and crude oil realized sales prices, and production costs per equivalent.

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Acreage

The following tables summarize our gross and net developed and undeveloped leasehold and mineral acreage at December 31, 2009. Acreage in which our interest is limited to royalty and overriding royalty interests is excluded.

Total Net Leasehold Acreage by Region of Operation

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Total Net Undeveloped Acreage Expiration by Region of Operation

The following table presents our net undeveloped acreage expiring over the next three years by operating region as of December 31, 2009. The figures below assume no future successful development or renewal of undeveloped acreage.

Well Summary

The following table presents our ownership at December 31, 2009, in productive natural gas and oil wells in the North region (consisting primarily of various fields located in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Colorado, Utah and Wyoming) and in the South region (consisting primarily of various fields located in Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas) . This summary includes natural gas and oil wells in which we have a working interest.

Drilling Activity

We drilled wells, participated in the drilling of wells, or acquired wells as indicated in the region tables below.

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Competition

Competition in our primary producing areas is intense. Price, contract terms and quality of service, including pipeline connection times and distribution efficiencies, affect competition. We believe that in the North region our extensive acreage position, existing natural gas gathering and pipeline systems, services and equipment that we have secured for the upcoming year and storage fields enhance our competitive position over other producers who do not have similar systems or facilities in place. We also actively compete against other companies with substantially larger financial and other resources.

OTHER BUSINESS MATTERS

Major Customer

In 2009, two customers accounted for approximately 13% and 11%, respectively, of the Company’s total sales. In 2008, one customer accounted for approximately 16% of the Company’s total sales. In 2007, no customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s total sales.

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Seasonality

Demand for natural gas has historically been seasonal, with peak demand and typically higher prices occurring during the colder winter months.

Regulation of Oil and Natural Gas Exploration and Production

Exploration and production operations are subject to various types of regulation at the federal, state and local levels. This regulation includes requiring permits to drill wells, maintaining bonding requirements to drill or operate wells, and regulating the location of wells, the method of drilling and casing wells, the surface use and restoration of properties on which wells are drilled, and the plugging and abandoning of wells. Our operations are also subject to various conservation laws and regulations. These include the regulation of the size of drilling and spacing units or proration units, the density of wells that may be drilled in a given field, and the unitization or pooling of oil and natural gas properties. Some states allow the forced pooling or integration of tracts to facilitate exploration while other states rely on voluntary pooling of lands and leases. In addition, state conservation laws establish maximum rates of production from oil and natural gas wells, generally prohibiting the venting or flaring of natural gas and imposing certain requirements regarding the ratability of production. The effect of these regulations is to limit the amounts of oil and natural gas we can produce from our wells, and to limit the number of wells or the locations where we can drill. Because these statutes, rules and regulations undergo constant review and often are amended, expanded and reinterpreted, we are unable to predict the future cost or impact of regulatory compliance. The regulatory burden on the oil and gas industry increases its cost of doing business and, consequently, affects its profitability. We do not believe, however, we are affected differently by these regulations than others in the industry.

Natural Gas Marketing, Gathering and Transportation

Federal legislation and regulatory controls have historically affected the price of the natural gas we produce and the manner in which our production is transported and marketed. Under the Natural Gas Act of 1938 (NGA), the FERC regulates the interstate sale for resale of natural gas and the transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce, although facilities used in the production or gathering of natural gas in interstate commerce are generally exempted from FERC jurisdiction. Effective January 1, 1993, the Natural Gas Wellhead Decontrol Act deregulated natural gas prices for all “first sales” of natural gas, which definition covers all sales of our own production. In addition, as part of the broad industry restructuring initiatives described below, the FERC has granted to all producers such as us a “blanket certificate of public convenience and necessity” authorizing the sale of gas for resale without further FERC approvals. As a result, all of our produced natural gas may now be sold at market prices, subject to the terms of any private contracts that may be in effect. In addition, under the provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (2005 Act), the NGA has been amended to prohibit any forms of market manipulation in connection with the purchase or sale of natural gas. Pursuant to the 2005 Act, the FERC established new regulations that are intended to increase natural gas pricing transparency through, among other things, requiring market participants to report their gas sales transactions annually to the FERC, and new regulations that require certain non-interstate pipelines to post daily scheduled volume information and design capacity for certain points on their systems. The 2005 Act also significantly increased the penalties for violations of the NGA and the FERC’s regulations.

Our natural gas sales prices nevertheless continue to be affected by intrastate and interstate gas transportation regulation, because the prices we receive for our production are affected by the cost of transporting the gas to the consuming market. Through a series of comprehensive rulemakings, beginning with Order No. 436 in 1985 and continuing through Order No. 636 in 1992 and Order No. 637 in 2000, the FERC has adopted regulatory changes that have significantly altered the transportation and marketing of natural gas. These changes were intended by the FERC to foster competition by, among other things, transforming the role of interstate pipeline companies from wholesale marketers of gas to the primary role of gas transporters, and by increasing the transparency of pricing for pipeline services. The FERC has also established regulations governing the relationship of pipelines with their marketing affiliates, which essentially require that designated employees

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function independently of each other, and that certain information not be shared. The FERC has also implemented standards relating to the use of electronic data exchange by the pipelines to make transportation information available on a timely basis and to enable transactions to occur on a purely electronic basis.

In light of these statutory and regulatory changes, most pipelines have divested their gas sales functions to marketing affiliates, which operate separately from the transporter and in direct competition with all other merchants, and most pipelines have also implemented the large-scale divestiture of their gas gathering facilities to affiliated or non-affiliated companies. Interstate pipelines thus now generally provide unbundled, open and nondiscriminatory transportation and transportation-related services to producers, gas marketing companies, local distribution companies, industrial end users and other customers seeking such services. Sellers and buyers of gas have gained direct access to the particular pipeline services they need, and are better able to conduct business with a larger number of counterparties. We believe these changes generally have improved our access to markets while, at the same time, substantially increasing competition in the natural gas marketplace.

Certain of our pipeline systems and storage fields in West Virginia are regulated for safety compliance by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the West Virginia Public Service Commission. In 2002, Congress enacted the Pipeline Safety Improvement Act of 2002 (2002 Act), which contains a number of provisions intended to increase pipeline operating safety. The DOT’s final regulations implementing the act became effective February 2004. Among other provisions, the regulations require that pipeline operators implement a pipeline integrity management program that must at a minimum include an inspection of gas transmission and non-rural gathering pipeline facilities within the next ten years, and at least every seven years thereafter. On March 15, 2006, the DOT revised these regulations to define more clearly the categories of gathering facilities subject to DOT regulation, establish new safety rules for certain gathering lines in rural areas, revise the current regulations applicable to safety and inspection of gathering lines in non-rural areas, and adopt new compliance deadlines. We have completed 100% of the required initial inspection (baseline assessment) of our pipeline systems in West Virginia. In December 2006, Congress enacted the Pipeline Inspection, Protection, Enforcement and Safety Act of 2006, which reauthorized the programs adopted under the 2002 Act, proposed enhancements for state programs to reduce excavation damage to pipelines, established increased federal enforcement of one-call excavation programs, and established a new program for review of pipeline security plans and critical facility inspections. In July 2009, DOT issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update its reporting requirements for natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines. On December 3, 2009, DOT adopted a regulation requiring gas and hazardous liquid pipelines that use supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and have at least one controller and control room to develop written control room management procedures by August 1, 2011 and implement the procedures by February 1, 2012.

We cannot predict what new or different regulations the FERC and other regulatory agencies may adopt, or what effect subsequent regulations may have on our activities. Similarly, it is impossible to predict what proposals, if any, that affect the oil and natural gas industry might actually be enacted by Congress or the various state legislatures and what effect, if any, such proposals might have on us. Similarly, and despite the recent trend toward federal deregulation of the natural gas industry, whether or to what extent that trend will continue, or what the ultimate effect will be on our sales of gas, cannot be predicted.

Federal Regulation of Petroleum

Our sales of oil and natural gas liquids are not regulated and are at market prices. The price received from the sale of these products is affected by the cost of transporting the products to market. Much of that transportation is through interstate common carrier pipelines. Effective January 1, 1995, the FERC implemented regulations generally grandfathering all previously approved interstate transportation rates and establishing an indexing system for those rates by which adjustments are made annually based on the rate of inflation, subject to certain conditions and limitations. These regulations may tend to increase the cost of transporting oil and natural gas liquids by interstate pipeline, although the annual adjustments may result in decreased rates in a given year. Every five years, the FERC must examine the relationship between the annual change in the applicable index and

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the actual cost changes experienced in the oil pipeline industry. In March 2006, to implement this required five-year re-determination, the FERC established an upward adjustment in the index to track oil pipeline cost changes and determined that the Producer Price Index for Finished Goods plus 1.3 percent should be the oil pricing index for the five-year period beginning July 1, 2006. Another FERC matter that may impact our transportation costs relates to a recent policy that allows a pipeline structured as a master limited partnership or similar non-corporate entity to include in its rates a tax allowance with respect to income for which there is an “actual or potential income tax liability,” to be determined on a case by case basis. Generally speaking, where the holder of a partnership unit interest is required to file a tax return that includes partnership income or loss, such unit-holder is presumed to have an actual or potential income tax liability sufficient to support a tax allowance on that partnership income. We currently do not transport any of our oil or natural gas liquids on a pipeline structured as a master limited partnership.

We are not able to predict with certainty the effect upon us of these periodic reviews by the FERC of the pipeline index, or of the application of the FERC’s policy on income tax allowances.

Environmental Regulations

General. Our operations are subject to extensive federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the generation, storage, handling, emission, transportation and discharge of materials into the environment. Permits are required for the operation of our various facilities. These permits can be revoked, modified or renewed by issuing authorities. Governmental authorities enforce compliance with their regulations through fines, injunctions or both. Government regulations can increase the cost of planning, designing, installing and operating, and can affect the timing of installing and operating, oil and gas facilities. Although we believe that compliance with environmental regulations will not have a material adverse effect on us, risks of substantial costs and liabilities related to environmental compliance issues are part of oil and gas production operations. No assurance can be given that significant costs and liabilities will not be incurred. Also, it is possible that other developments, such as stricter environmental laws and regulations, and claims for damages to property or persons resulting from oil and gas production could result in substantial costs and liabilities to us.

The transition zone and shallow-water areas of the U.S. Gulf Coast are ecologically sensitive. Environmental issues have led to higher drilling costs and a more difficult and lengthy well permitting process. U.S. laws and regulations applicable to our operations include those controlling the discharge of materials into the environment, requiring removal and cleanup of materials that may harm the environment, requiring consistency with applicable coastal zone management plans, or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment.

Solid and Hazardous Waste. We currently own or lease, and have in the past owned or leased, numerous properties that were used for the production of oil and gas for many years. Although operating and disposal practices that were standard in the industry at the time may have been utilized, it is possible that hydrocarbons or other wastes may have been disposed of or released on or under the properties currently owned or leased by us. State and federal laws applicable to oil and gas wastes and properties have become more strict over time. Under these increasingly stringent requirements, we could be required to remove or remediate previously disposed wastes (including wastes disposed or released by prior owners and operators) or clean up property contamination (including groundwater contamination by prior owners or operators) or to perform plugging operations to prevent future contamination.

We generate some hazardous wastes that are already subject to the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and comparable state statutes. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has limited the disposal options for certain hazardous wastes. It is possible that certain wastes currently exempt from treatment as hazardous wastes may in the future be designated as hazardous wastes under RCRA or other applicable statutes. We could, therefore, be subject to more rigorous and costly disposal requirements in the future than we encounter today.

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Superfund. The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), also known as the “Superfund” law, imposes liability, without regard to fault or the legality of the original conduct, on certain persons with respect to the release of hazardous substances into the environment. These persons include the owner and operator of a site and any party that treated or disposed of or arranged for the treatment or disposal of hazardous substances found at a site. CERCLA also authorizes the EPA, and in some cases, private parties, to undertake actions to clean up such hazardous substances, or to recover the costs of such actions from the responsible parties. In the course of business, we have used materials and generated wastes and will continue to use materials and generate wastes that may fall within CERCLA’s definition of hazardous substances. We may also be an owner or operator of sites on which hazardous substances have been released. As a result, we may be responsible under CERCLA for all or part of the costs to clean up sites where such substances have been released.

Oil Pollution Act. The Federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA) and resulting regulations impose a variety of obligations on responsible parties related to the prevention of oil spills and liability for damages resulting from such spills in waters of the United States. The term “waters of the United States” has been broadly defined to include inland water bodies, including wetlands and intermittent streams. The OPA assigns liability to each responsible party for oil removal costs and a variety of public and private damages. We believe that we substantially comply with the Oil Pollution Act and related federal regulations.

Clean Water Act. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act) and resulting regulations, which are primarily implemented through a system of permits, also govern the discharge of certain contaminants into waters of the United States. Sanctions for failure to comply strictly with the Clean Water Act are generally resolved by payment of fines and correction of any identified deficiencies. However, regulatory agencies could require us to cease construction or operation of certain facilities or to cease hauling wastewaters to facilities owned by others that are the source of water discharges. We believe that we substantially comply with the Clean Water Act and related federal and state regulations.

Clean Air Act. Our operations are subject to local, state and federal laws and regulations to control emissions from sources of air pollution. Payment of fines and correction of any identified deficiencies generally resolve penalties for failure to comply strictly with air regulations or permits. Regulatory agencies could also require us to cease construction or operation of certain facilities or to install additional controls on certain facilities that are air emission sources. We believe that we substantially comply with the emission standards under local, state, and federal laws and regulations.

Hydraulic Fracturing. Many of our exploration and production operations depend on the use of hydraulic fracturing to enhance production from oil and gas wells. This technology involves the injection of fluids—usually consisting mostly of water but typically including small amounts of several chemical additives—as well as sand into a well under high pressure in order to create fractures in the rock that allow oil or gas to flow more freely to the wellbore. Many of our wells would not be economical without the use of hydraulic fracturing to stimulate production from the well. Hydraulic fracturing operations have historically been overseen by state regulators as part of their oil and gas regulatory programs. However, bills have recently been introduced in Congress that would subject hydraulic fracturing to federal regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. If adopted, these bills could result in additional permitting requirements for hydraulic fracturing operations as well as various restrictions on those operations. These permitting requirements and restrictions could result in delays in operations at well sites as well as increased costs to make wells productive. Moreover, the bills introduced in Congress would require the public disclosure of certain information regarding the chemical makeup of hydraulic fracturing fluids, many of which are proprietary to the service companies that perform the hydraulic fracturing operations. Such disclosure could make it easier for third parties to initiate litigation against us in the event of perceived problems with drinking water wells in the vicinity of an oil or gas well or other alleged environmental problems. In addition to these federal legislative proposals, some states and local governments have considered imposing various conditions and restrictions on hydraulic fracturing operations, including but not limited to requirements regarding chemical disclosure, casing and cementing of wells, withdrawal of water for use in high-

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volume hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wells, baseline testing of nearby water wells, and restrictions on the type of additives that may be used in hydraulic fracturing operations. If these types of conditions are adopted, we could be subject to increased costs and possibly limits on the productivity of certain wells.

Greenhouse Gas. In response to recent studies suggesting that emissions of carbon dioxide and certain other gases may be contributing to warming of the Earth’s atmosphere, the U.S. Congress is actively considering legislation to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from sources within the United States between 2012 and 2050. For example, the 110th session of Congress considered various bills that proposed a “cap and trade” scheme of regulation of greenhouse gas emissions that generally would ban emissions above a defined reducing annual cap. Covered parties would be authorized to emit greenhouse emissions through the acquisition and subsequent surrender of emission allowances that may be traded or acquired on the open market. In addition, at least 17 states have already taken legal measures to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, primarily through the planned development of greenhouse gas emission inventories and/or regional greenhouse gas cap and trade programs. Most of these cap and trade programs require either major sources of emissions, such as electric power plants, or major producers of fuels, such as refineries or gas processing plants, to acquire and surrender emission allowances. The number of allowances available for purchase is reduced each year until the overall greenhouse gas emission reduction goal is achieved.

Depending on the particular program, we could be required to purchase and surrender allowances, either for greenhouse gas emissions resulting from our operations or from combustion of oil or natural gas we produce. Although we would not be impacted to a greater degree than other similarly situated producers of oil and gas, a stringent greenhouse gas control program could have an adverse effect on our cost of doing business and could reduce demand for the oil and gas we produce.

Also, in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in April 2007 in Massachusetts v. Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA has begun to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, even though Congress has yet to adopt new legislation specifically addressing emissions of greenhouse gases. In late 2009, the EPA issued a “Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases” final rule, which establishes a new comprehensive regulation and reporting scheme for operators of stationary sources emitting certain levels of greenhouse gases, and a Final Rule finding that certain current and projected levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere threaten public health and welfare of current and future generations. Please read “Item 1A. Risk Factors—Climate change and climate change legislation and regulatory initiatives could result in increased operating costs and decreased demand for oil and gas.”

Employees

As of December 31, 2009, we had 567 active employees. We recognize that our success is significantly influenced by the relationship we maintain with our employees. Overall, we believe that our relations with our employees are satisfactory. The Company and its employees are not represented by a collective bargaining agreement.

Website Access to Company Reports

We make available free of charge through our website, www.cabotog.com, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Information on our website is not a part of this report. In addition, the SEC maintains an Internet site at www.sec.gov that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information filed by the Company. The public may read and copy materials that we file with the SEC at the SEC’s Public Reference Room located at 100 F Street, NE, Washington, DC 20549. Information regarding the operation of the Public Reference Room can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330.

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Corporate Governance Matters

The Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines, Corporate Bylaws, Code of Business Conduct, Corporate Governance and Nominations Committee Charter, Compensation Committee Charter and Audit Committee Charter are available on the Company’s website at www.cabotog.com, under the “Corporate Governance” section of “Investor Relations.” Requests can also be made in writing to Investor Relations at our corporate headquarters at Three Memorial City Plaza, 840 Gessner Road, Suite 1400, Houston, Texas, 77024.

Natural gas and oil prices fluctuate widely, and low prices for an extended period of time are likely to have a material adverse impact on our business.

Our revenues, operating results, financial condition and ability to borrow funds or obtain additional capital depend substantially on prevailing prices for natural gas and, to a lesser extent, oil. Lower commodity prices may reduce the amount of natural gas and oil that we can produce economically. Historically, natural gas and oil prices and markets have been volatile, with prices fluctuating widely, and they are likely to continue to be volatile. Natural gas prices have declined from approximately $13 per Mmbtu in mid 2008 to an average price of $3.99 per Mmbtu in 2009. Oil prices have declined from record levels in mid 2008 of approximately $145 per barrel to an average price of $62 per barrel in 2009. The forward price for both natural gas and oil currently stands at rates higher than those realized in 2009. Depressed prices in the future would have a negative impact on our future financial results. Because our reserves are predominantly natural gas, changes in natural gas prices have a particularly large impact on our financial results.

Prices for natural gas and oil are subject to wide fluctuations in response to relatively minor changes in the supply of and demand for natural gas and oil, market uncertainty and a variety of additional factors that are beyond our control. These factors include:

These factors and the volatile nature of the energy markets make it impossible to predict with any certainty the future prices of natural gas and oil. If natural gas prices decline significantly for a sustained period of time, the lower prices may adversely affect our ability to make planned expenditures, raise additional capital or meet our financial obligations.

Drilling natural gas and oil wells is a high-risk activity.

Our growth is materially dependent upon the success of our drilling program. Drilling for natural gas and oil involves numerous risks, including the risk that no commercially productive natural gas or oil reservoirs will be

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encountered. The cost of drilling, completing and operating wells is substantial and uncertain, and drilling operations may be curtailed, delayed or cancelled as a result of a variety of factors beyond our control, including:

Our future drilling activities may not be successful and, if unsuccessful, such failure will have an adverse effect on our future results of operations and financial condition. Our overall drilling success rate or our drilling success rate for activity within a particular geographic area may decline. We may ultimately not be able to lease or drill identified or budgeted prospects within our expected time frame, or at all. We may not be able to lease or drill a particular prospect because, in some cases, we identify a prospect or drilling location before seeking an option or lease rights in the prospect or location. Similarly, our drilling schedule may vary from our capital budget. The final determination with respect to the drilling of any scheduled or budgeted wells will be dependent on a number of factors, including:

These projects may not be successfully developed and the wells, if drilled, may not encounter reservoirs of commercially productive natural gas or oil.

Our proved reserves are estimates. Any material inaccuracies in our reserve estimates or underlying assumptions could cause the quantities and net present value of our reserves to be overstated or understated.

Reserve engineering is a subjective process of estimating underground accumulations of natural gas and crude oil that cannot be measured in an exact manner. The process of estimating quantities of proved reserves is complex and inherently imprecise, and the reserve data included in this document are only estimates. The process relies on interpretations of available geologic, geophysical, engineering and production data. The extent, quality and reliability of this technical data can vary. The process also requires certain economic assumptions, some of which are mandated by the SEC, such as natural gas and oil prices. Additional assumptions include drilling and operating expenses, capital expenditures, taxes and availability of funds.

Results of drilling, testing and production subsequent to the date of an estimate may justify revising the original estimate. Accordingly, initial reserve estimates often vary from the quantities of natural gas and crude oil that are ultimately recovered, and such variances may be material. Any significant variance could reduce the estimated quantities and present value of our reserves.

You should not assume that the present value of future net cash flows from our proved reserves is the current market value of our estimated natural gas and oil reserves. In accordance with SEC requirements, we base

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the estimated discounted future net cash flows from our proved reserves on the 12-month average oil and gas index prices, calculated as the unweighted arithmetic average for the first day of the month price for each month and costs in effect on the date of the estimate, holding the prices and costs constant throughout the life of the properties. Actual future prices and costs may differ materially from those used in the net present value estimate, and future net present value estimates using then current prices and costs may be significantly less than the current estimate. In addition, the 10% discount factor we use when calculating discounted future net cash flows for reporting requirements in compliance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) in Accounting Standards Codification 932 may not be the most appropriate discount factor based on interest rates in effect from time to time and risks associated with us or the natural gas and oil industry in general.

Our future performance depends on our ability to find or acquire additional natural gas and oil reserves that are economically recoverable.

In general, the production rate of natural gas and oil properties declines as reserves are depleted, with the rate of decline depending on reservoir characteristics. Unless we successfully replace the reserves that we produce, our reserves will decline, eventually resulting in a decrease in natural gas and oil production and lower revenues and cash flow from operations. Our future natural gas and oil production is, therefore, highly dependent on our level of success in finding or acquiring additional reserves. We may not be able to replace reserves through our exploration, development and exploitation activities or by acquiring properties at acceptable costs. Low natural gas and oil prices may further limit the kinds of reserves that we can develop economically. Lower prices also decrease our cash flow and may cause us to decrease capital expenditures.

Our reserve report estimates that production from our proved developed producing reserves as of December 31, 2009 will increase at an estimated rate of 4% during 2010 and then decline at estimated rates of 20%, 12% and 11% during 2011, 2012 and 2013, respectively. Future development of proved undeveloped and other reserves currently not classified as proved developed producing will impact these rates of decline. Because of higher initial decline rates from newly developed reserves, we consider this pattern fairly typical.

Exploration, development and exploitation activities involve numerous risks that may result in dry holes, the failure to produce natural gas and oil in commercial quantities and the inability to fully produce discovered reserves.

Acquired properties may not be worth what we pay due to uncertainties in evaluating recoverable reserves and other expected benefits, as well as potential liabilities.

Successful property acquisitions require an assessment of a number of factors beyond our control. These factors include exploration potential, future natural gas and oil prices, operating costs, and potential environmental and other liabilities. These assessments are complex and inherently imprecise. Our review of the properties we acquire may not reveal all existing or potential problems. In addition, our review may not allow us to fully assess the potential deficiencies of the properties. We do not inspect every well, and even when we inspect a well we may not discover structural, subsurface, or environmental problems that may exist or arise. We may not be entitled to contractual indemnification for pre-closing liabilities, including environmental liabilities, and our contractual indemnification may not be effective. Often, we acquire interests in properties on an “as is” basis with limited remedies for breaches of representations and warranties. If an acquired property is not performing as originally estimated, we may have an impairment which could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.

The integration of the properties we acquire could be difficult, and may divert management’s attention away from our existing operations.

The integration of the properties we acquire could be difficult, and may divert management’s attention and financial resources away from our existing operations. These difficulties include:

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The process of integrating our operations could cause an interruption of, or loss of momentum in, the activities of our business. Members of our management may be required to devote considerable amounts of time to this integration process, which will decrease the time they will have to manage our existing business. If management is not able to effectively manage the integration process, or if any significant business activities are interrupted as a result of the integration process, our business could suffer.

We face a variety of hazards and risks that could cause substantial financial losses.

Our business involves a variety of operating risks, including:

In addition, we conduct operations in shallow offshore areas (largely coastal waters), which are subject to additional hazards of marine operations, such as capsizing, collision and damage from severe weather. Any of these events could result in injury or loss of human life, loss of hydrocarbons, significant damage to or destruction of property, environmental pollution, regulatory investigations and penalties, impairment of our operations and substantial losses to us.

Our operation of natural gas gathering and pipeline systems also involves various risks, including the risk of explosions and environmental hazards caused by pipeline leaks and ruptures. The location of pipelines near populated areas, including residential areas, commercial business centers and industrial sites, could increase these risks. As of December 31, 2009, we owned or operated approximately 3,500 miles of natural gas gathering and pipeline systems. As part of our normal maintenance program, we have identified certain segments of our pipelines that we believe periodically require repair, replacement or additional maintenance.

Federal and state legislation and regulatory initiatives related to hydraulic fracturing could result in increased costs and operating restrictions or delays.

Bills have recently been introduced in Congress that would subject hydraulic fracturing to federal regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. If adopted, these bills could result in additional permitting requirements for hydraulic fracturing operations as well as various restrictions on those operations. These permitting requirements and restrictions could result in delays in operations at well sites as well as increased costs to make wells productive. Moreover, the bills introduced in Congress would require the public disclosure of certain information regarding the chemical makeup of hydraulic fracturing fluids, many of which are proprietary to the service companies that perform the hydraulic fracturing operations. Such disclosure could make it easier for third parties to initiate litigation against us in the event of perceived problems with drinking water wells in the vicinity of an oil or gas well or other alleged environmental problems. In addition to these federal legislative proposals, some states and local governments have considered imposing various conditions and restrictions on hydraulic fracturing operations, including requirements regarding chemical disclosure, casing and cementing of wells, withdrawal of water for use in high-volume hydraulic fracturing of horizontal wells, baseline testing of nearby water wells, and restrictions on the type of additives that may be used in hydraulic fracturing operations. If these types of conditions are adopted, we could be subject to increased costs and possibly limits on the productivity of certain wells.

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We may not be insured against all of the operating risks to which we are exposed.

We maintain insurance against some, but not all, of these risks and losses. We do not carry business interruption insurance. In addition, pollution and environmental risks generally are not fully insurable. The occurrence of an event not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse effect on our financial position and results of operations.

We have limited control over the activities on properties we do not operate.

Other companies operate some of the properties in which we have an interest. Non-operated wells represented approximately 15% of our total owned gross wells, or approximately 5% of our owned net wells, as of December 31, 2009. We have limited ability to influence or control the operation or future development of these non-operated properties or the amount of capital expenditures that we are required to fund with respect to them. The failure of an operator of our wells to adequately perform operations, an operator’s breach of the applicable agreements or an operator’s failure to act in ways that are in our best interest could reduce our production and revenues. Our dependence on the operator and other working interest owners for these projects and our limited ability to influence or control the operation and future development of these properties could materially adversely affect the realization of our targeted returns on capital in drilling or acquisition activities and lead to unexpected future costs.

Terrorist activities and the potential for military and other actions could adversely affect our business.

The threat of terrorism and the impact of military and other action have caused instability in world financial markets and could lead to increased volatility in prices for natural gas and oil, all of which could adversely affect the markets for our operations. Future acts of terrorism could be directed against companies operating in the United States. The U.S. government has issued public warnings that indicate that energy assets might be specific targets of terrorist organizations. These developments have subjected our operations to increased risk and, depending on their ultimate magnitude, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

Our ability to sell our natural gas and oil production could be materially harmed if we fail to obtain adequate services such as transportation and processing.

The sale of our natural gas and oil production depends on a number of factors beyond our control, including the availability and capacity of transportation and processing facilities. Our failure to obtain these services on acceptable terms could materially harm our business.

Competition in our industry is intense, and many of our competitors have substantially greater financial and technological resources than we do, which could adversely affect our competitive position.

Competition in the natural gas and oil industry is intense. Major and independent natural gas and oil companies actively bid for desirable natural gas and oil properties, as well as for the equipment and labor required to operate and develop these properties. Our competitive position is affected by price, contract terms and quality of service, including pipeline connection times, distribution efficiencies and reliable delivery record. Many of our competitors have financial and technological resources and exploration and development budgets that are substantially greater than ours. These companies may be able to pay more for exploratory projects and productive natural gas and oil properties and may be able to define, evaluate, bid for and purchase a greater number of properties and prospects than our financial or human resources permit. In addition, these companies may be able to expend greater resources on the existing and changing technologies that we believe are and will be increasingly important to attaining success in the industry.

We may have hedging arrangements that expose us to risk of financial loss and limit the benefit to us of increases in prices for natural gas and oil.

From time to time, when we believe that market conditions are favorable, we use certain derivative financial instruments to manage price risks associated with our production in all of our regions. While there are many

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different types of derivatives available, in 2009 we employed natural gas and crude oil price collar and swap agreements for portions of our 2009 through 2010 production to attempt to manage price risk more effectively. In addition, we entered into natural gas basis swaps covering a portion of anticipated 2012 production, which do not qualify for hedge accounting. The collar arrangements are put and call options used to establish floor and ceiling commodity prices for a fixed volume of production during a certain time period. They provide for payments to counterparties if the index price exceeds the ceiling and payments from the counterparties if the index price falls below the floor. The price swaps call for payments to, or receipts from, counterparties based on whether the market price of natural gas or crude oil for the period is greater or less than the fixed price established for that period when the swap is put in place. These hedging arrangements limit the benefit to us of increases in prices. In addition, these arrangements expose us to risks of financial loss in a variety of circumstances, including when:

We will continue to evaluate the benefit of employing derivatives in the future. Please read “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Item 7 and “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk” in Item 7A for further discussion concerning our use of derivatives.

The loss of key personnel could adversely affect our ability to operate.

Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of key management and technical personnel, and one or more of these individuals could leave our employment. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of these individuals could have a detrimental effect on us. In addition, our drilling success and the success of other activities integral to our operations will depend, in part, on our ability to attract and retain experienced geologists, engineers and other professionals. Competition for experienced geologists, engineers and some other professionals is extremely intense. If we cannot retain our technical personnel or attract additional experienced technical personnel, our ability to compete could be harmed.

We are subject to complex laws and regulations, including environmental regulations, which can adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business.

Our operations are subject to extensive federal, state and local laws and regulations, including tax laws and regulations and those relating to the generation, storage, handling, emission, transportation and discharge of materials into the environment. These laws and regulations can adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business. Many laws and regulations require permits for the operation of various facilities, and these permits are subject to revocation, modification and renewal. Governmental authorities have the power to enforce compliance with their regulations, and violations could subject us to fines, injunctions or both. These laws and regulations have increased the costs of planning, designing, drilling, installing and operating natural gas and oil facilities. In addition, we may be liable for environmental damages caused by previous owners of property we purchase or lease. Risks of substantial costs and liabilities related to environmental compliance issues are inherent in natural gas and oil operations. It is possible that other developments, such as stricter environmental laws and regulations, and claims for damages to property or persons resulting from natural gas and oil production, would result in substantial costs and liabilities.

Climate change and climate change legislation and regulatory initiatives could result in increased operating costs and decreased demand for the oil and gas that we produce.

There is increasing attention in the United States and worldwide concerning the issue of climate change and the effect of greenhouse gases. On September 22, 2009, the EPA issued a “Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse

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Gases” final rule (“Reporting Rule”). The Reporting Rule establishes a new comprehensive scheme requiring operators of stationary sources emitting more than established annual thresholds of carbon dioxide-equivalent greenhouse gases to inventory and report their greenhouse gases emissions annually on a facility-by-facility basis. In addition, on December 15, 2009, the EPA published a Final Rule finding that current and projected concentrations of six key greenhouse gases in the atmosphere threaten public health and the welfare of current and future generations. The EPA also found that the combined emissions of these greenhouse gases from new motor vehicles and new motor vehicle engines contribute to pollution that threatens public health and welfare. This Final Rule, also known as the EPA’s Endangerment Finding, does not impose any requirements on industry or other entities directly. However, the EPA must now finalize motor vehicle greenhouse gases standards, the effect of which could reduce demand for motor fuels refined from crude oil. Finally, according to the EPA, the final motor vehicle greenhouse gas standards will trigger construction and operating permit requirements for stationary sources. Moreover, in 2005, the Kyoto Protocol to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which establishes a binding set of emission targets for greenhouse gases, became binding on all those countries that had ratified it. International discussions are currently underway to develop a treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol after its expiration in 2012. While it is not possible at this time to predict how regulation that may be enacted to address greenhouse gases emissions would impact our business, the modification of existing laws or regulations or the adoption of new laws or regulations curtailing oil and gas exploration in the areas of the United States in which we operate could materially and adversely affect our operations by limiting drilling opportunities or imposing materially increased costs. In addition, existing or new laws, regulations or treaties (including incentives to conserve energy or use alternative energy sources) could have a negative impact on our business if such incentives reduce demand for oil and gas.

The proposed U.S. federal budget for fiscal year 2011 includes certain provisions that, if passed as originally submitted, will have an adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

On February 1, 2010, the Office of Management and Budget released a summary of the proposed U.S. federal budget for fiscal year 2011. The proposed budget repeals many tax incentives and deductions that are currently used by U.S. oil and gas companies and imposes new taxes. The provisions include: elimination of the ability to fully deduct intangible drilling costs in the year incurred; increases in the taxation of foreign source income; levy of an excise tax on Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production; repeal of the manufacturing tax deduction for oil and gas companies; and increase in the geological and geophysical amortization period for independent producers. Should some or all of these provisions become law, our taxes will increase, potentially significantly, which would have a negative impact on our net income and cash flows. This could also reduce our drilling activities in the U.S. Since none of these proposals have yet to be voted on or become law, we do not know the ultimate impact these proposed changes may have on our business.

Provisions of Delaware law and our bylaws and charter could discourage change in control transactions and prevent stockholders from receiving a premium on their investment.

Our bylaws provide for a classified Board of Directors with staggered terms, and our charter authorizes our Board of Directors to set the terms of preferred stock. In addition, Delaware law contains provisions that impose restrictions on business combinations with interested parties. Our bylaws prohibit stockholder action by written consent and limit stockholder proposals at meetings of stockholders. Because of these provisions of our charter, bylaws and Delaware law, persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals may be more likely to negotiate with our Board of Directors rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. As a result, these provisions may make it more difficult for our stockholders to benefit from transactions that are opposed by an incumbent Board of Directors.

The personal liability of our directors for monetary damages for breach of their fiduciary duty of care is limited by the Delaware General Corporation Law and by our charter.

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The Delaware General Corporation Law allows corporations to limit available relief for the breach of directors’ duty of care to equitable remedies such as injunction or rescission. Our charter limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Specifically, our directors will not be personally liable for monetary damages for any breach of their fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability:

This limitation may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors, and may discourage or deter stockholders or management from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their duty of care, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise have benefited our stockholders.

None.

See Item 1. “Business.”

We are a defendant in various legal proceedings arising in the normal course of our business. All known liabilities are accrued based on management’s best estimate of the potential loss. While the outcome and impact of such legal proceedings on us cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that the resolution of these proceedings through settlement or adverse judgment will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or cash flow. Operating results, however, could be significantly impacted in the reporting periods in which such matters are resolved.

Commitment and Contingency Reserves

When deemed necessary, we establish reserves for certain legal proceedings. The establishment of a reserve involves an estimation process that includes the advice of legal counsel and subjective judgment of management. While management believes these reserves to be adequate, it is reasonably possible that we could incur approximately $0.9 million of additional loss with respect to those matters in which reserves have been established. Future changes in the facts and circumstances could result in the actual liability exceeding the estimated ranges of loss and amounts accrued.

While the outcome and impact on us cannot be predicted with certainty, management believes that the resolution of these proceedings through settlement or adverse judgment will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or cash flow. Operating results, however, could be significantly impacted in the reporting periods in which such matters are resolved.

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No matters were submitted to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of 2009.

EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT

The following table shows certain information as of February 15, 2010 about our executive officers, as such term is defined in Rule 3b-7 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and certain of our other officers.

All officers are elected annually by our Board of Directors. All of the executive officers have been employed by Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation for at least the last five years.

Phillip L. Stalnaker was elected Vice President and Regional Manager, North Region, in July 2009. From February 2006 to July 2009, Mr. Stalnaker served as Regional Manager for the Western Region and from 2001 to 2006 as Engineering Manager, Western Region. Prior thereto, Mr. Stalnaker served in various capacities of increasing responsibility within the drilling, production and reserve engineering departments at Chevron Corporation.

James M. Reid was elected Vice President and Regional Manager, South Region, in July 2009. From February 2006 to July 2009, Mr. Reid served as Regional Manager, Gulf Coast Region and from 200l to 2006 as Manager, Regional Operation for the Gulf Coast Region. Prior thereto, Mr. Reid served in various operating and engineering positions with Texaco, Inc., Texas Gas Exploration, Total Minatome, Energy Development Corp. and Broughton Operating Corp.

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PART II

Our common stock is listed and principally traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “COG.” The following table presents the high and low closing sales prices per share of our common stock during certain periods, as reported in the consolidated transaction reporting system. Cash dividends paid per share of the common stock are also shown. A regular dividend has been declared each quarter since we became a public company in 1990.