From this commentary on the changing Energy markets:
"The oil market is set for a serious adjustment. US is beginning to plan for exports of Natural gas. But shale gas is not the full story. US production of tight oil, which is produced from shale and other rocks, has tripled in the past three years to almost 900,000 b/d. Predictions that the US could become self-sufficient in hydrocarbons in the next two decades no longer look absurd. In the US, the low gas price is seen as re-basing industrial costs and opening the door to a renaissance of manufacturing. Within the energy market, attention has shifted to electricity production. The attraction of gas as a feedstock for generating power is well known. Shell and BP are both down against the market by more than 10 per cent since the start of the year."
My first thought is some states are going to get very rich in taxes.
From a U.S. State Tax collection data report for 2011:
"North Dakota (shale oil) and Alaska (oil) experienced the largest state tax collection increases in fiscal year 2011 at 44.5 percent and 22.4 percent, much of this increase due to the severance tax. Alaska and Wyoming’s severance taxes accounted for 76.5 percent and 42.4 percent of their state total tax collections."
What is a severance tax? Severance taxes are collected by each state on the production of oil, gas, and other natural resource that leave the state in which they were produced. Here is a chart of these taxes:
"Colorado, North Dakota, Nevada, Texas, and Wyoming collected 105.3 percent, 65.8 percent, 49.0 percent, 54.1 percent, and 44.8 percent increase in severance tax revenue, respectively, which was the largest category to increase. States that do not collect severance taxes include Delaware, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Vermont."
How are you playing these changes in the Energy Investment landscape?
I own VDE and GASFX.
Commentary Source:
http://www.fullermoney.com/content/2012-04-18/FT_OilBubbleIsBursting17April2012.pdfState Tax Source:
http://www2.census.gov/govs/statetax/2011stcreport.pdf 
Comments
No matter what the price of the energy source it has to be transported to an end point for use. The distributors of the product still collects a good fee for transportation.
These funds usually have a high dividend distribution which is ideal for retirement plans.
Any help in giving their opinion on which good funds available would be appreciated.
Prinx
still ~ 10% in energy in my private portfolio, mostly in us global resources pspfx, evep, and I am a major holding for prpfx. Probably hold 'em long term unless there is a bad crash comin' up/double dip.
fwiw
http://www.cnbc.com/id/47083663
Dont' have anything right now of consequence, as we sold our FFGCX fund several weeks ago and had direct exposure to energy with that fund.
However, I continue to watch GASZ. Yes, it is an etn fund; but is about the only decent play I can find at the time that has a direct tie to natural gas prices. Nat gas is at $1.92 per unit at 3 pm, which if I recall properly is the low since 2002.
Take care,
Catch
I recently purchased a mutual fund that invests in pipeline MLPs called Steelpath.MLPAX. I bought it through Schwab at NTF. You don't have to deal with the 10K forms etc
http://seekingalpha.com/article/509661-it-s-time-to-buy-oil-and-energy
http://www.dailywealth.com/2053/These-Two-Commodities-Have-Crashed-in-Half-Is-It-Time-to-Buy-