I'm beginning to think it's possible these aren't all just a series of unfortunate accidents. Add to that the fact that right here where I live is a refinery and I believe Chevron owns it and wanted to shut it down for good, saying it was too old to repair...cost of gas is tied to how many refineries are working and due to the huge outcry here it is still running but I don't know for how long.(oil company says their to expensive to build a new one-yeah because of course the oil companies have nooooooo money right). "People never do evil so throughly and happily as when they do it from moral conviction."-Blaise Pascal
By limiting the producers and through economies of scale profits have increased. Now, they say that in order to help out the economy and bring on more capacity US environmental rules need to be eased. Bush has helpfully suggested that closed military bases be used as refinery sites. Conspiracy may be a strong word for the "free market" reaction to deregulation, but it sure has worked out well for the usual suspects.