Corporate Regulations....Who Needs Corporate Regulations?!

[Diego in Seattle]

Certainly not the oil industry.

[Carson]

Anybody that thinks a refinery ever shuts completely off during "offline" is a stupid fool.

The fact is: production was slowed. Did you slow down your consumption, asswipe?

[Mikey]

That system, McCullough said in an interview, lends itself to a market concentration that allows producers to subtly coordinate their prices.

Subtly?

[Mikey]

The main reason gas prices are so high is that fuel, like crude, is a world market and prices for gasoline, diesel, etc. are higher in other countries. So, the refiners (i.e. the oil companies in this vertically integrated industry) ship "our" gas out of the country to boost their profits. Supply and demand, free market and stuff.

Of course building a pipeline from Canada to Texas so the Canadians could more easily sell their oil on the world market would solve all of that.

[mvscal]

He has spent most of his adult life testifying as a supposed expert on behalf of litigants in suits against energy companies.

Could he be right? Maybe. Could he be full of shit? Even he says that is possible in his report.

You decide.

I'm going to go with 'full of shit.'

That conclusion is reached from state environmental documents showing nitrogen-oxide emissions had returned to normal at the refinery a full week before it was reported to have come back on line.

Oh...OK.

"It certainly does not prove collusion among the principal suppliers, since specific data by refineries is difficult to procure," McCullough's report said. "However, the data does suggest the need for an investigation on a refinery-by-refinery level."

Oh an investigation, you say? Yes, of course, and on a "refinery-by-refinery" basis no less. Well, considering that there are about 150 refineries in the US, that ought to keep the checks coming for a awhile.

Can't say that I'm really suprised to see another academic grant whore milking the taxpayers for yet another useless "investigation."

[Moving Sale]

Seeing as our resident black cock whore thinks he is full of shit, it's a pretty good bet his thesis is spot on.