Two of the companies atop the Fortune list, Chesapeake Energy and Devon Energy, are major contributors to the 1, 300 new energy jobs birthed in the city in 2010 alone.

FORBES: Thunder In Oklahoma City: Creative Class or Oil and Gas?

As just one example, last week I spoke with John Schiller, chief executive of offshore driller Energy XXI, who used to drill a lot of deepwater wells when he was with Ocean Energy and Devon Energy.

FORBES: Obama-Picked Investigator Says No Safety Shortcuts In Blowout Well. Really?

In the past couple of years Chinese state energy firms have struck multi-billion-dollar shale deals in America with Chesapeake Energy, mainly for shale oil, and with Devon Energy Corp for gas.

ECONOMIST: Global reserves