The capital intensive setup and expensive drilling procedure leaves very low margins for the drilling companies at the current natural gas rates.

FORBES: Chesapeake Stock Drilling Its Way To $35

With improvements in petroleum and petroleum product shipping offsetting coal volume losses over the last two quarters, the railroad industry is capitalizing on the current natural gas boom.

FORBES: Norfolk Southern Chugs To $78 On Natural Gas And Housing Recovery

The Department of Energy has taken credit for laying the groundwork for the current natural gas boom, citing research and development dating back to the 1970s that led to today's hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, techniques of extracting gas from shale.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS