Foreword
The price of oil has been rising steadily for more than three years, and consumers around the world are feeling the pinch. With a barrel of oil currently trading for more than $60, ripple effects are spreading throughout the world economy, as the increasing cost of gas, travel, home heating oil, and a variety of petroleum-based products takes bigger and bigger bites out of the average person’s budget.When this long-term trend collided with the catastrophic event of Hurricane Katrina, the average cost of gas in the United States approached $4 a gallon and drivers rushed to service stations, spurred by…
