Leave it to the government. It’s proposing a “tax and cap” regime for energy producers which will require fossil-fuel generating plants to pay extra.  The idea is to encourage clean fuels and discourage dirty ones. That’s fine in theory. But instead of helping our future energy situation, it’s going to make it a lot worse.

When oil hit $147 a barrel this summer, hedge funds were feeling the heat as big media and big government pointed to the speculators as the real culprit in the price run-ups. The only people who weren’t complaining about oil hedge-fund traders, it seemed, were investors who held shares in clean-energy companies. But times have changed…

Energy investors may find themselves at odds in weighing whether to put their money into fossil fuels or green alternatives. Two separate articles in today’s Wall Street Journal provide a good backdrop for the current dilemma. Ultimately, we’re of the opinion that it’s still too early for alternative energy to make a convincing business case.

Could biofuels be our savior after all? This from Bloomberg:

Biofuels can boost incomes and yields for farmers, revitalizing impoverished rural areas when they are introduced in countries with secure land ownership, the International Institute for Environment and Development said.

By raising the price of crops such as corn and palm oil, biofuels can reduce poverty in countries with a high dependency on agriculture, the London-based researcher said in a report with the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization.

Oil is the energy resource that captures public attention, but its poor cousin natural gas could be the one now offering more interesting investment opportunities.

Recently, legendary Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens made headlines with another big bet on energy…but it was No ordinary oil & gas investment.

When it comes to high-priced oil, Congress just doesn’t get it.

With oil prices climbing to higher than $133, to what extent does Mexico benefit from this? Is it taking advantage of this special time?

As if there weren’t enough issues plaguing the world’s oil supply, hurricanes are now back on the list.

The PowerShares Clean Energy ETF (PBW) debuted in April 2005.