It is now obvious that domestic and global energy companies are beginning to believe in unconventional shale-gas and potential markets in the U.S. In just a few short years, we have seen Exxon-Mobil, Shell, Chevron, BP and others buy out some independent producers in major shale plays. We have also witnessed countries such as France, India, Italy and China investing heavily in the U.S. gas shale business.

Until recently, burning of coal generated the majority of the electricity in the United States; however, as of 2012 – and for the first time in history – energy production from natural gas fired power plants has equaled that of coal production.

Have you ever wondered where natural gas and oil are produced in the U.S, and how much is produced by state? To help identify these U.S. locations and their production numbers, NBC News created an interactive map, giving users the ability to select a state and view its total energy production figures.

This is a common question that is usually accompanied with the misconceived notion that hundreds of chemicals are used. As is often the case, a quick Google search on the topic produces a wide variety of answers, many of which are not factual.