That Nancy Pelosi and Maria Cantwell will have their press conferences on the findings of this study any minute/hour/day now.
FTC Report: No Price Gouging from Oil Industry
Gasoline price increases in the spring and summer of 2006 were not the result of antitrust violations by oil companies or refiners, the Federal Trade Commission said Thursday.
“The 2006 price increases were caused by a confluence of factors reflecting the normal operation of the market,†the commission said in a report to President Bush.
Those factors included higher prices for crude oil and ethanol, greater demand for fuel during the summer driving season as well as lingering refinery outages from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Reduced capacity while refinery owners switched to using ethanol as a fuel additive also contributed.
“The FTC has looked at the same phenomenon, which occurs almost every year, year after year, and they get the same result,†said Joseph Simons, former director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition.
“Why people think it’s going to come out any different the next time is unclear,†said Simons, now a partner with the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. “It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money.â€
Yep, and time now I’ll be flipping through the channels and ol Nan or Little Miss Can’t Vote Well will be up there spreading the word.
Found at Say Anything
Did you see the apparently developing attempt, gearing-up, to do a “Big Tobacco” number on energy producers and oil companies? Makes me a little sick.
“What fools these Mortals be…”