9-25-08 by dugan If Californians wonder why there’s been no discussion of their pain at the gas pump in the state Legislature, it’s probably because legislators get free gas cards–and free cars. The AP story…
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Archive | Author: Judy Dugan
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Who does Paulson represent?
9-25-08 by dugan Henry Paulson seems to have persuaded Congress that his Wall Street bailout is purely in service of the nation, but a land-conservation deal made by Paulson in 2004, when he was both…
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OWD and “Black Gold” on CNBC
9-24-08 by dugan Yes, it’s hard to give up an episode of CSI, but take a look tonight at a CNBC investigative documentary, "Black Gold," airing at 9:30 Eastern (or whenever President Bush’s speech on…
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Drillers win a talking point
9-23-08 by dugan I get why Congress gave up today on renewing a federal ban on coastal drilling: It was that, or be accused of shutting down government for lack of a stopgap spending bill….
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Itty bitty energy bill
9-23-08 by dugan Hopes for a comprehensive energy policy or energy policy this year are long over, but the Senate today limped to approval of the barest minimum–an extension of wind and solar power tax…
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Exxon’s mastodon strategy
9-22-08 by dugan Why is Exxon’s stock down 16% since the beginning of this year? Because it’s sitting on a cash hoard of $39 billion, spending more on buying back its own stock than producing…
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Unhinged oil prices
9-22-08 by dugan Oil prices shot up by an all-time record $25 a barrel in one day because, um, because… uh, well, for no good reason. It’s all paper trading and has nothing to do…
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Why General Motors fails
9-21-08 by dugan Coming out of the funk of a truly rotten cold, I sat upright when I saw quotes from the appearance by GM vice chairman Bob Lutz on the Colbert Report. If the…
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Energy bill? What energy bill?
9-17-08 by dugan The 290-page energy bill that the House passed last night would be important if it had a chance of becoming law. It doesn’t. Too bad, because aside from a halfhearted acquiescence to…
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Is Calif. getting lucky?
9-17-08 by dugan California, usually at the top of the gasoline price pyramid, has lately been just below the national average of $3.85 a gallon, a near unheard-of situation. It’s partly about the wholesale-level gouging…
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Sex, drugs and oil, part 2
9-15-08 An inspector general’s report about years of hard partying, drug use and lavish gifts at the Denver office of federal oil regulators fingered the involvement of Chevron, Shell and a smaller company. The report…
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$5 gas and “drill now”
9-14-08 by dugan If Americans really want more $5 gasoline after the next hurricane, and more power for the oil lobby in Washington, the "drill now" campaign is the perfect vehicle. That connection hit me…
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Why oil’s down, gas is up
9-11-08 by dugan When a government thinks "regulation" is a dirty word, here’s what happens: The price of crude oil fell today to about $100 a barrel ($2.38 a gallon), yet gasoline spiked to a…