Tis the season for energy plans. Coming up on the elections, everyone has to have a plan – and I was just e-mailed a copy of Montana Senator John Tester’s plan. There are some good components, but it is also rich with irony.
A common-sense energy plan for Montana and America
As Sharla and I buckle down [...]
Record Profits,Record Profits >
Tester’s Energy Plan 
Record Prices = Record Profits?
So, I am running through some of my daily news searches – things like “gas prices”, “gas gouging”, “alternative energy”, etc. I ran across this gem:
Gas price gouging becomes even more obvious
It is basically just another ignorant screed from someone who apparently thinks oil companies can just raise and lower prices at a whim:
As long [...]
Consumers Boil
This is quite timely coming on the heels of my previous essay. I talked about the press picking up and running with the comments of Oil Watchdog’s Judy Dugan as if she were actually a credible source of information. Here’s a perfect example:
Consumers boil over oil profits
For years, oil companies have been cast as villains. [...]
What Would Ron Wyden Do?
The refining sector has been in the news a few times this week, and not in a good way:
A Fine Mess For U.S. Refineries
HOUSTON — Excess capacity, weak demand for fuels and rising product inventories continue to squeeze margins for U.S. oil refiners.
Sunoco, the second-largest refiner in the country that doesn’t produce its own oil, [...]
When Did Share Repurchases Become a Crime?
Ten years ago, I did a lot of investing into individual stocks. While my investing these days is mostly limited to mutual funds, one thing that always attracted me was when a company bought back shares of their own stocks. To me, this always signaled confidence in the company, and a belief from insiders that [...]
Coming Attractions
Just wanted to provide a quick update, since it will be a few more days before I have a new essay up. I am trying to finish up an article on Peak Oil for Omninerd, and need to devote a couple of days toward working on that. I recently finished my first submission for The [...]
Comments on Senate Hearing on Gas Prices
On May 15th, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources conducted a hearing entitled Short-Term Energy Outlook Summer 2007: Oil and Gasoline. You can listen to the web cast here. I have done so, and this essay will be about my impressions of the hearing.
You can find the testimony of the various witnesses at [...]
Taxing “Windfall Profits”
I have a few essays in the queue (including a nifty biodiesel story), but I thought I would comment on an article in today’s Deseret News out of Salt Lake City. The article was entitled “Will U.S. Slap Tax on Big Oil Profits?”. (1) A few excerpts from the article, followed by my comments:
Republican Sen. [...]
