Bugmenot: dale@loginsblow.com, threecar

Energy companies of all stripes are benefiting from higher oil and gas prices, but the big winners aren't the giant oil companies or the neighborhood service stations. It's the refiners - the companies that turn crude oil into gasoline, diesel and heating oil.

"Obviously, at $60 oil, the producers make enough money. But the guys who are really making enormous amounts of money in the whole energy spectrum are the refiners," said Oppenheimer & Co. analyst Fadel Gheit.

Experts say it's not a matter of manipulation or gouging, but simple supply and demand.

And one last tidbit: Natural gas prices threaten school budgets in Oil City, PA. (OK, I know this isn't that interesting, but I couldn't resist the fact that it was set in Oil City, and that the paper is called The Derrick.)

Technorati Tags: peak oil, oil, gas prices