The U.S. is expected to become one of the top exporters of liquefied natural gas in the next five years, with new export facilities becoming the catalyst for a steady stream of shipments to Asia, according to a Moody’s report issued Wednesday.  More »

A recent rise in natural gas prices is expected to give natural gas companies a much needed boost in first quarter earnings, an analyst’s report said Tuesday.  More »

U.S. drillers that set up rigs amid the rolling farmland of eastern Ohio on projections underground shale held $500 billion of oil are packing up and heading out of the Utica Shale, which isn’t living up to expectations set by top fields like the Eagle Ford in South Texas.  More »

Programming note: I’m taking a little time off, so the blog is likely to be rather quiet for the next week and a half. Wednesday’s column, available on houstonchronicle.com: When a company issues a release at 4:55 p.m. on Good Friday, it’s not good news. That’s the timing Chesapeake Energy chose to tell investors it  Read More  More »

Chesapeake Energy Corp. picked Chief Operating Officer Steven C. Dixon to be interim chief executive as co-founder Aubrey K. McClendon steps down from the natural gas explorer he led for almost a quarter century.  More »

In a bid to boost its profile in Washington, D.C., America’s Natural Gas Alliance is turning to an industry veteran and skilled lobbyist for its next CEO. The pick: Marty Durbin, now at API.  More »

China Petroleum & Chemical Corp., Asia’s biggest refiner, joined PetroChina Co. in posting lower 2012 profits, as the nation’s largest energy companies look to overseas growth to counter the impact of price controls at home.  More »

As part of its drive to pare down its debt load, Chesapeake Energy will sell $2.3 billion in senior notes.  More »

McClendon may define the company’s past, but he also laid the foundation for its future.  More »

Chesapeake Energy’s market value surged more than $1 billion in morning trading Wednesday, a day after the company announced that embattled CEO Aubrey McClendon would step down.  More »

Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McClendon will retire April 1 from the company that he founded, amid “philosophical differences” with the natural gas company’s new board. McClendon will receive $11.7 million in severance pay over four years, according to SEC filings.  More »

In western New York State, where Chesapeake has been using hydraulic fracturing to unleash new natural gas reserves from the Marcellus Shale formation, contractors have had a harder time getting paid as Chesapeake’s financial problems mounted, said Charlie Joyce, who sued the company last year for unpaid bills.  More »