It has since been implemented in most other blogging tools. As a result, TrackBack spam filters similar to those implemented against…

How do you come up with so much material to blog with?…

You are right, it’s always better to come together and hammer out an accord. But please realize that in order to do so, you must have mutual need.

Industry has shown its disinterest by grabbing the gold over the last five years to the detriment of everyone but themselves. It has been an atrocity. They had opportunity after opportunity to be proactive, yet consistently passed.

Now, we get government intervention. It may not the best option - but at least there is some intervention, and those of us at ground zero have desperately needed it all from the first time our community sat at the table with industry and thereafter experienced their extremely effective conquer and divide - status quo style of “doing things right”.

Their credibility is shot and they’ve established both their interests and position. We have to put our faith elsewhere.

I think a couple of you might get away from your computers, take a breather, enjoy June in W Colorado.

” And to characterize the Sierra Club as only producing “propaganda” tells us all that you are simply a mouthpiece for the polluters. I really do not know how you folks can live with yourself. ”

No gene, that’s all the sierra club produces. Propaganda along the lines of J. Goebbels/J. Fox.

There really is no difference

It’s like you latest lie about me being a ‘college dropout’, you keep wording that like it is a derogatory thing.

Do you have a problem with a person being a ‘college dropout’?

Woujld you care to quote the offending sentence where I characterized the current oil and gas industry as unregulated?
The misrepresentation is on your part. You have distorted badly what I wrote which referred only to the historical Pittsburg area contamination.

And to characterize the Sierra Club as only producing “propaganda” tells us all that you are simply a mouthpiece for the polluters. I really do not know how you folks can live with yourself. These grander things you have to do involve making more money by fracturing with pollutants to our water supplies?

I agree with you that strict supply/demand factors do not justify the volatility of the oil markets nor the sharp rise in the price this year. But, I would not use the word “manipulation”, which means some sort of illegal activity. I believe what we have is rampant “speculation”, as you also noted, not unlike what caused the stock market bubble of 90’s or the recently punctured housing bubble.

There is a lot of money being thrown at oil futures by investors who are trend followrs. The concept of having commodities as a portion of a large investor’s portfolio came into being in 1999 by Goldman Sachs. Speculation in the futures markets is reatively easy to do by just about anyone because it only requires 5% margin.

There is nothing illegal about specultation. But there are steps that can be taken to reduce it. One would be to significantly increase the margin and another would be to limit who can play in that market.

I beilve that the current price of oil represents a bubble and that at some point, we will see a collapse in the price, not unlike what we saw in stocks, housing, and, more recently, what we are seeing in gold.

Classof52 - You should know better than to portray the energy industry as unregulated. That’s a complete misrepresentation of the truth, or more specifically, it’s a lie. Another untruth is the statement that there is little money to be made in environmental activism. You have got to be joking. Just ask Al Gore. He is positioning himself to make an “obscene profit” on carbon credits, yet his followers turn a blind eye. Alo, you need to take a good look at the war chest held by the Sierra Club. It’s not peanuts. Comparing it to Exxon isn’t exactly comparing apples to apples either. Exxon actually produces a product (or products), the Sierra Club produces propaganda. Additionally, tell everyone why it’s acceptable for Exxon to do all the do for a marin of 8%, yet all levels of government usurp up to 65 cents on every gallon of fuel sold. What has the government done in that equation?

dc - You’re correct. Market speculation is certainly playing a role in the volatility of the oil price. That is part of the “economics” I referred to, although that’s not exactly a simple part, so I stand partially corrected on that account. However, speculation wouldn’t be so profitable if not for the ridiculous global demand, driven heavily by China, India and other developing countries.

I just bought a 1 ton diesel about 2 months ago, and haven’t driven it more than 1,500 miles in that time. It has a purpose, and fuel consumption isn’t it. I also installed a programmer and upgraded the intake to improve performance (i.e. fuel economy). My other car is reasonably fuel efficient, and it too is driven minimally. Also, I drove a Ford Festiva for 7 years, getting 42 mpg, long before it was trendy and good for the environment.

I built a new home 2 1/2 years ago (before energy prices started skyrocketing) and spent the extra money on spray foam insulation, top of the line windows, the best appliances and paid for a full brick exterior, all intended to use the least energy possible. I put fluorescent bulbs throughout the house, before it was cool, all of which are off when not in use. I have programmable thermostats in the house, set VERY high when nobody’s home, and ceiling fans in every room to reduce the need for A/C. I also have a high efficiency wood stove, which I regularly use in the winter.

I have a garden that feeds two families, and provides tons of vegetables we give to friends and neighbors as well. This year we will can everything.

Just because I work in the energy industry, don’t question my motives. I learned a long time ago, a penny saved is a penny earned. Perhaps you should read the letter I wrote, which started this entire discussion. My motives are driven by economics, not the catastrophic climate change drivel being pounded down our throats.

By the way, I don’t buy into the “carbon footprint” bunk, but I am doing my best to off-set my own reduction in energy use by increasing the output of methane caused by my cattle. It should be a good year, as I have several more calves due soon.

Thanks for the entertainment ladies and gentlemen. It’s been fun, and enlightening.

Gene, the other day, the t-feller posted a copy and paste from a website that listed an anonymous letter and you called it relevant and reliable.

And now this?

” Well, Stiego if you are going to characterize any site which disagrees with your notions as a “fringe” website, then what does that say about your accepted conclusions? Why don’t you quote one of those websites which states polar opposites so that we readers can judge its bonafides? ”

And you wonder why you get no respect…

So much intelligence, and so little intelligence, all wrapped up in one classless, clueless Bombastic Buffoon.

My wife just started driving the new Prius yesterday. I have parked my 3/4 ton diesel pickup and will only use it when absolutely necessary. I am driving a small sedan now and we ride our bikes unless the trip is too far. We are replacing our light bulbs with flourescents and are committed to using LED technology whenever we can. We are limiting our driving and starting to work on local food initiatives ( including a big, five family garden) to reduce carbon consumption in our food supply. Our lights are always off in unused rooms. Our house is very weatherproof and our furnace and water heater are very high efficiency.

We are personally committed to continually look for ways to reduce our carbon footprint. How about you?

I would also add that the current cost of oil and gas is a result of all sorts of factors beyond simple economics. If there was ever a time when our markets were being manipulated, this is the time. No other factor besides market speculation can account for such radical price fluctuation. If you have factual data to explain to me how supply and demand can affect the price of a barrel of oil by as much as $6.00 to $10.00 a day, let’s see it.