I want to voice this little mental quagmire because it’s bothering me.

Gas prices were at historic levels with oil companies raking in record profits for the last year.  This we know is true.

Gas prices are now plummeting.  They fell 12 cents in the last week alone.

Oil prices are plummeting on global markets.

At least 6% of our domestic oil supply was made unavailable just last month when the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska was knocked offline by British Petroleum’s poorly maintained pipeline.  Having ignored it for many years (whereas most oil companies monitor and perform maintenance on their pipelines no less than every two weeks), the petroleum conduit began leaking and was on the verge of significant failure.

British Petroleum’s Thunder Horse oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico has been offline since Hurricane Dennis in 2005 and will remain out of commission at least until 2008.  This is only one of many production facilities in the Gulf which are still not functional due to last year’s hurricane season.

Oil refineries in America are beginning the transition from summer blends to winter blends, and this has always caused reductions in availability while plants are taken offline to enact the changes necessary.

The situation with Iran, OPEC’s second largest oil producer, has created jitters about possible market impact if the US is able to get sanctions enacted against Tehran for its nuclear program.

With all of this in play, why is it that gas prices are dropping so rapidly?  With a hobbled infrastructure in both the Gulf and Alaska, with what seems to be a dramatically reduced supply inbound to refineries from domestic sources, with the normal winter switchover ramping up, with international uncertainty, and with a plethora of reasons, can anyone explain to me why prices are falling so dramatically?  Could it have anything to do with the national election just two months away, an election where Republicans (normally tied to big oil at the hip) are in danger of losing control of the nation?

I’m just asking because the last two years have seen explosive rises in oil, gas, and other energy costs, yet conveniently and suspiciously before energy companies lose control of the federal government, we see prices across the board plunge at a phenomenal speed.

Not that I mind lower prices, of course.  I’m only saying it certainly has an appearance of manipulation, and not solely of energy prices, but also of the election.  I hear that we now have a massive surplus of oil in this country despite all the reasons to think otherwise.  I see prices drops on global markets in response to all sorts of stimuli.  I know winter blends of gas in America are generally less expensive than summer blends, and they are also easier to make (and, one assumes, therefore less expensive).  It is that simple?  Is that all we’re seeing: a coincidentally timed correction of oil prices?

Let’s hope so, because it really does smell like big business is attempting to rig the election in favor of Republicans by removing one of the major political considerations for American citizens: energy prices.

And let me add this: I am not a conspiracy theorist.  I almost always laugh at such things for their attrocious lack of acceptance of the facts.  That said, I did want to let this spill out of my head so I could stop thinking about it.  I suppose there’s plenty of reasons to say what is happening is expected and normal and not at all a ploy.  But still, I at least wonder…