Chattooga County Commissioner Jason Winters says the possibility of Chattooga County holding natural gas deposits is exiting and a positive thing for the county.

Winters said he was contacted by an Atlanta engineering firm by letter and phone about six months ago. He said he provided water table levels for several sites in the county.  Winters said if natural gas is here, the possibilities are endless concerning what it can do for the area, and it would be an exciting new industry that would provide jobs and economic stability.

Winters said it's still several years off, but the possibilities are endless.

The commissioner explained that there is a lot of controversy surrounding the drilling for natural gas, but Chattooga County is prepared and open to new industry.

Currently natural gas drillers are exploring the Northwest Georgia area trying to tap the energy fuel from the Conasauga Shale Field.  

An Oklahoma based company is drilling just outside Dalton, and a Texas company will be drilling at Cave Spring, near Rome.

The companies reportedly are gambling on predictions that the Northwest Georgia area could yield trillions of cubic feet of natural gas, creating an entirely new industry in the state.