Now that the U.S. economy has started to recover from its recent recession, many Americans are asking the same question: where is the safest and smartest place to invest their money? The natural gas boom currently in action is one of the most important trends affecting the American economy and it would be the smartest choice to invest in this new era of sustainable energy.

According to Forbes’ “Energy Forecast 2013-2014,” the outlook for energy in the next two years is surprisingly diverse. Oil and gas prices are expected to remain high while natural gas prices continue to fall increasing the gap between the two fuels to unprecedented levels.

Oil and gas prices are unreliable and unpredictable because it changes on a daily basis which makes it an unstable investment. For example, on February 11, 2013 it was reported that gas prices rose every day for 25 days straight, reaching a national average of $3.59 per gallon, the most expensive national average recorded on February 11. Within these two weeks, gas prices increased by 25 cents which was the biggest jump in prices in over a year. Even though gas prices constantly change future expectations remain high for its price level.

Oil prices are expected to remain high because of the limited supply and increase in demand. There is a limited supply of gas and its liquid derivatives in the world and this is why oil prices are constantly increasing. On the other hand, natural gas will continue to be cheap in the North American market because supply is greater than our demand. Although new drilling is declining, a well that has been drilled will continue to be productive long after prices have fallen. Operating costs are tiny in most cases, so natural gas will continue to move into the world market.

Here are some companies to keep an eye on for future investments.

Natural gas is replacing dirtier and more expensive sources of fuel like coal at a rapid peace, and this increases demand for transportation, storage and all kind of related services. That is why, Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD), a company that transports and processes natural gas, natural gas liquids, crude oil, refined products and petrochemicals, will have such a profitable future because the demand for transportation of natural gas is on the rise and will continue to be in high demand as the demand for natural gas increases.

The company is in the process of developing a new 270-mile pipeline header system that will deliver ethane to petrochemical plants in the Gulf Coast region, and it’s in the position of accumulating all of the benefits from the increase in demand of LNG. Being a natural monopoly, competition is not a big problem and, in addition to all this, investors in this master limited partnership are getting a 4.4% dividend yield.

Companies like Westport Innovations (NASDAQ: WPRT) and Clean Energy Fuels (NASDAQ: CLNE) have many things in common, to begin with: both companies are betting on LNG as a cheaper and more efficient fuel for vehicles. Westport is in the business of building engine conversion technologies, and it has partnerships with giant like Caterpillar and Cummins. Westport has been increasing sales rapidly over the last years, and gross margins are on the rise too.

Here is the bottom line, the natural gas industry has only just begun its first stages and will provide many opportunities for its investors over the next few years. If you are willing to take the risks and commit to long term investments, disruptive plays like Westport and Clean Energy Fuels can potentially deliver amazing returns if LNG continues to gain traction as the fuel of our future.