With the January thaw we almost always experience here in Southern Ontario apparently past and the thermometer once again starting to drop, I was waiting for the kettle to boil this past weekend and noticed the condensation forming on my kitchen window.  This reminded me of the distillation process I learned about in high school chemistry, and then of the most basic part of refining crude oil.

I've seen it many times.  Gas prices go up due to certain factors and the red-faced critics come out of the woodwork to accuse any and all who work in the oil and gas business of doing bad things.  Very bad things.   My job allows me to respond and defend the decent folks I work with.  But in the end, it's just words   So it's my pleasure to share with you something Petro-Canada's Downstream employees did that was good.  Very good.

The beginning of January puts us at a crossroads. On one hand, we watch “the year in pictures”, and radio stations play the year’s number one hits.  On the other hand, we make resolutions and plans for the coming year.

I recently received the Centre for Energy’s latest newsletter, containing links to three different reports about energy supply and demand up to 2030. This reminded me that the year-end/beginning is also a time for some institutions to forecast what’s ahead for years to come. If you’re interested in energy forecasts, check out the reports from Canada’s National Energy Board (NEB), the American Energy Information Administration (EIA), and the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook team. 

As we wrapped up 2007, I am pleased to announce that our ‘Fuel Efficiency’ author, Sneh Seetal and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl.  Congratulations Sneh! 

We’ve now jumped right into 2008, and with the New Year – comes a new author.  I’d like to introduce Kelli Stevens.  As Sneh enjoys this time off with her new baby girl, Kelli will be taking over for the next few months where Sneh left off.  Welcome Kelli!

Photo Credit: Sally M

The price of crude oil briefly touched $100 (US) a barrel yesterday before dipping back down and settling just below that mark.  Today's news reports are filled with the usual stories on how this might impact you at the pump, but there is also some worthwhile reading in the Wall Street Journal, the Toronto Star and here which helps explain how oil prices rose ten-fold in the last 10 years.  To help round out the perspective, I will turn to the great Jimmy Buffet.