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ORIGINAL: mnottertail

That is laughable.  So when the oil speculation was rampant during the Bush terms, it was pro-energy policy?

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ORIGINAL: mnottertail
I am awaiting some credible proof of an anti-energy policy, but none is forthcoming.

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ORIGINAL: mnottertail
Although, I will say that the US is the only nation in the world without a planned energy policy.

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ORIGINAL: mnottertail

Any unreasonable fear that is exploitable will be exploited by speculators, that is the nature of the beast, and it needs reigning in to fair levels.

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ORIGINAL: mnottertail

You are being disingenuous 'nit, spewing mere talking points and avoiding the reality.

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ORIGINAL: Sanity

Our policy varies. When there are Dems ./ Environmental Extremists in power our fossil fuel reserves are locked up, and we as a nation flounder. But when there are Republicans in power our capitalists are unleashed and generally speaking the supplies increase, costs go down and people are free to move around the planet and do business again.

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If the president would just say we were going to drill baby drill prices would fall dramatically and if we did that prices would stay low. But that runs counter to what the environmental extremists want, and they are one of the special interest groups who have a severe stranglehold on the Dems, arent they.

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There is credible speculation that cutting our energy supply isnt about the environment at all, that its designed to bring America to its knees.

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ORIGINAL: rulemylife

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ORIGINAL: Sanity

Our policy varies. When there are Dems ./ Environmental Extremists in power our fossil fuel reserves are locked up, and we as a nation flounder. But when there are Republicans in power our capitalists are unleashed and generally speaking the supplies increase, costs go down and people are free to move around the planet and do business again.

No kidding?

Wasn't Bush in  power the last time we had $4 a gallon gas?

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If the president would just say we were going to drill baby drill prices would fall dramatically and if we did that prices would stay low. But that runs counter to what the environmental extremists want, and they are one of the special interest groups who have a severe stranglehold on the Dems, arent they.

Again, didn't Bush greatly expand drilling, yet prices still skyrocketed in 2007 and 2008.

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There is credible speculation that cutting our energy supply isnt about the environment at all, that its designed to bring America to its knees.

Yeah, that sounds really credible, but I'm sure you going to post some links to convince us of that any minute.

Or was that credible speculation what you heard at Joe Bob's Bar & Grille last night?

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Delta Employees Attacked On MARTA Train

"We were intimidated. Everyone was terrified. People were trying to run, but there was nowhere to run," the man, who requested anonymity, told Channel 2's Erica Byfield.

...

"Once the doors opened, it was like a bum rush of people," he told Byfield. "The next thing you know, they started just beating him. There was blood everywhere. People were hollering and screaming," he said.

A MARTA police report identified two victims as Delta Airlines employees. The report said one victim had a soda can smashed in his face and his wallet stolen, while the other was punched repeatedly in his face. The witness said the attackers were teens chanting "B. F. P. L."

"I don't know if that's a gang," the witness said.

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ORIGINAL: Edwynn


Actually that last quote is not too far from the truth, but not by any foreign powers, rather by the oil companies.

In the early eighties there were 300 refineries. As of 2007 there were 149. The hoax that they won't build anymore because of onerous EPA requirements is funny in light of the fact that they've been on a refinery and merger/acquisition spree for the express purpose of lowering total refinery capacity. They shut down half the refineries they purchase. They have rather increased capacity to dangerous levels at existing refineries and purposely lowered gasoline reserves to a minimum, so that any disruption will cause a sudden shortage and spike the price. When running at near full capacity, a refinery will historically have to be shut down more often because the danger levels are so high that shut-down maintenance is required more often, along with the occasional disaster in spite of such efforts.

This process started in the 80's and has slowly built over time, through every president and congress and with out any exogenous action on their part as cause. It has been a very carefully mapped plan.
Bleatings to the public from presidents never affected them before. I doubt if they have all a sudden turned squeamish over such things.

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ORIGINAL: Sanity


I thought that the problems with his post were obvious enough, arent most people naturally curious to see some sort of concrete proof of facts claimed when presented with what appears to be some blatant copy and past far left propaganda?

One thing to think about is, we havent suffered any gasoline shortages and that alone blows a hole large enough in his story to fly a 737 through it, dont you think? Further, Obama said, and everybody says (and I agree) that the futures commodity market drives oil prices, which in turn determines the price of gas... but old Ed just reaches down between his legs and grabs a big smelly turd and chucks it at the wall and you buy into it just like that, without even thinking about it?

Its just Eds smelly old turd, it has no factual basis in reality. He probably found it at the DailyKOS

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ORIGINAL: Marini

lol
No, I didn't fact check, I trust you guys.


Anyway, Edwynn is gonna get ya!

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"The profit outlook is incredible, the refinery margins are significantly higher than last year or the past three years," Fadel Gheit, an analyst with Oppenheimer& Co., told Reuters.

Peter Beutel, an analyst at Cameron Hanover, said U.S. refinery profit margins, on average, are higher than they were after the 2005 hurricanes shut in 25 percent of U.S. fuel production.

Meanwhile, the refiners themselves are enjoying a field day in profits.On the West Coast, profit margins are at an unheard of $39.88 per barrel of crude oil processed, as the area suffered more refinery glitches than the rest of the country. Margins in the Gulf Coast are at $25.28 a barrel, the Midwest at $28.38 and the East Coast $17.31, Gheit added.Barring any drastic changes in fundamentals, Gheit estimates that 2007 margins will be about 10 percent higher in the Gulf Coast from last year, 15 percent higher in the Midwest and 33 percent higher on the West Coast.

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The closure of refineries on the U.S. East Coast representing nearly 20 percent of the region’s capacity is driving profit margins higher. The CHART OF THE DAY shows a gain in the crack spread, or the difference between crude oil and gasoline, as refinery utilization dropped. Valero Energy Corp. shuttered permanently its 182,200 barrel-a-day Delaware City, Delaware, refinery last month because of “very poor economic conditions.” Sunoco Inc. shut indefinitely its 145,000 barrel-a-day Eagle Point plant in New Jersey in November.

Refineries on the East Coast, or PADD 1, processed 1.02 million barrels of crude a day last week, 24 percent below than a year earlier and the least since April, according to the Energy Department. Capacity in the region is 1.32 million barrels a day after the Valero and Sunoco shutdowns.

(gas consumption did not go down anywhere near 24%, so the claim of "very poor economic conditions" is actually the cover story for allowing them what they were itching to do in the first place, reduce supply to increase price to consumers suffering from "these very poor economic conditions."  Ed)

The missing production in the region can be replaced by shipments from the Gulf Coast through pipelines owned by Colonial Pipeline Co. and Teppco Partners LP, or by cargoes coming from Canada, the Caribbean and Europe. Colonial’s line has been oversubscribed during the past 12 pumping cycles, according to pipeline bulletins. Traders send cargoes to the East Coast if prices in the region, after shipping costs, are stronger than those in other areas.

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Gushing stock prices and dividends


Instead of bemoaning the amount of profits that oil companies make, people might have been better off investing in more energy firms.


Exxon Mobil's stock is up 15% in the past year. Shares of oil services giant Schlumberger have soared 36%. And deepwater oil driller Transocean's stock has skyrocketed nearly 80%.

The oil companies have also been rewarding shareholders with more than strong stock price gains. Of the 36 energy companies in the S&P 500, only five don't pay a dividend. And of the 31 companies that do pay dividends, only three have failed to increase their payouts in the past few years. Chevron and ConocoPhillips (COP, Fortune 500) both pay dividends that yield over 2%.


Could these companies afford to pay higher dividends? Probably. But the oil companies also do need to make sure they don't dedicate too much cash to give back to shareholders...which brings me to my next point.

Oil companies aren't as profitable as you think


I sometimes get the impression that people think oil executives hold clandestine meetings where they unilaterally decide to set the price of oil and gas in order to maximize their profits. After maniacally laughing about how they are gouging the American public, they then go swimming in pools of gold ala Scrooge McDuck.But there's a problem with that theory. Even though many oil companies are reporting record profits, many people forget just how expensive it is for energy companies to engage in the oil business.


The average net profit margin for the S&P Energy sector, according to figures from Thomson Baseline, is 9.7%. The average for the S&P 500 is 8.5%. So yes, energy companies are more profitable than many others...but not by an inordinate amount.Google, for example, reported a net profit margin of 25% in its most recent quarter. Should we have an online advertising windfall profit tax?