Facing strong U.S. pressure and global dismay over oil prices, Saudi Arabia said Sunday it will produce more crude this year if the market needs it. But the vague pledge fell far short of U.S. hopes for a specific increase and may do little to lower prices immediately. ...more

June 23, 2008

SAUDI ARABIA - Saudi Arabia is willing to produce more oil if customers need it, the kingdom's oil minister said Sunday without citing any specific output increase. ...more

June 22, 2008

It was almost inevitable that a combination of $4-a-gallon gas, public anxiety and politicians eager to win votes or repair legacies would produce political pandering on an epic scale. So it has, the latest instance being President Bush's decision to ask Congress to end the federal ban on offshore oil and gas drilling along much of America's continental shelf. ...more

June 20, 2008

With gasoline topping $4 a gallon, President Bush urged Congress on Wednesday to lift its long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling, saying the United States needs to increase its energy production. Democrats quickly rejected the idea. ...more

June 19, 2008

Gov. Charlie Crist has abandoned his staunch opposition to offshore oil and gas drilling, saying Tuesday that he supports Sen. John McCain's plan to lift the federal moratorium and will weigh the possibility of drilling off Florida's coastline. ...more

June 18, 2008

Sen. John McCain said Monday that the federal moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling should be lifted, and individual states given the right to pursue energy exploration in waters near their coasts. ...more

June 17, 2008

Mike Wyckoff is an unlikely proponent of something Florida politicians and environmentalists have been trying to prevent for decades: The exploration and production of oil and natural gas in the waters off Florida's Gulf Coast. ...more

June 14, 2008

On Sept. 13, when the price of oil closed above $80 a barrel for the first time, energy analysts brushed it off, saying the high price wouldn't last. Demand, they said, wasn't strong enough to support prices at such a high level. ...more

October 18, 2007

Gasoline prices in the Tampa Bay area have held steady since the end of the summer driving season, according to AAA. On Wednesday, the average price for regular-grade gas was $2.75 a gallon. ...more

October 18, 2007