Introduction In Part I, I discussed the short term factors that have resulted in the recent, rapid increase in the price of gasoline. But there are a number of underlying, long-term issues that have been […]
Why I Sat Out the Feeding Frenzy
I have gotten several e-mails about Cyclone Gonu in which I was asked to comment. Some asked why I haven’t written about it, or why I haven’t participated in the discussions about it. I was […]
This Week in Petroleum 6-6-07
Update: The numbers are out. Gasoline made a strong gain this week, as imports remained high. Demand remains well above last year’s numbers. Given that imports were down slightly over the previous week (but still […]
Chuck Schumer’s Fabrications
I have never cared for Chuck Schumer. In my opinion he is a classic example of a demagogue. He tells half-truths, or sometimes untruths, in order to push his agenda. And he did so again […]
Gasoline Prices – Part I: Immediate Causes
Note: This essay was published at Financial Sense on May 31, 2007. Introduction As of this writing in late May 2007, gasoline prices have increased by over $0.70 per gallon since March. This is great […]
Edwards Calls for Anti-Trust Investigation
Sometimes, the targets are simply too easy. There’s hardly any sport to this one: Edwards contends with Big Oil Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards took on the oil companies Thursday while campaigning in Menlo Park, […]
The Cost of Environmental Regulations
That title will immediately raise some eyebrows, but I am not suggesting that we don’t need the environmental regulations we have. Rather, I just want people to understand that this is part of the cost […]
The Crumbling Ethanol Facade
I have seen it all now. When the biggest ethanol boosters are starting to suggest that maybe we have a problem, you know we have a problem. And that is exactly what is happening. I […]
This Week in Petroleum 5-30-07
2nd Update: The data have been released: Summary of Weekly Petroleum Data for the Week Ending May 25, 2007 As I have been predicting, this was an all-time record low gasoline inventory for Memorial Day […]
The Mythical Ethanol Threat
There have been many claims in recent years that ethanol is going to help wean us off of fossil fuels. In fact, many of our political leaders claim that as long as we just keep […]