There is no energy crisis.

Looks like flame bait.

Most likely scenario in my mind: Price per barrel of oil drops to about $60. Price of gasoline in the US drops to about $2.50 per gallon. Slowly but surly over the next 10 years or so people migrate back to Hummers, Suburbans, and other large gas guzzling vehicles. All work on alternative energy (solar, wind, bio fuel, etc) ceases completely. The ethanol plants in the midwest close their doors and are torn down eventually. (remember the 70's?) In about 20 years we have another oil crises prices skyrocket and history repeats itself yet again.

I think that the oil powers will continue to charge whatever the market will bear. We have already seen oil drop to around $100 a barrel. Of course the falling dollar has something to do with that. Maybe if you adjust the $60 for inflation, you are right. I think that the manipulation charges were proven to be correct. There are a lot of dedicated engineers, chemists and plain folks dedicated to achieving energy independence and reducing pollution. I don't think they will stop finding better technologies. Whether or not global warming has much to do with man, it is also a motivational factor for many. I hope you scenario is wrong, but then again, I thought we would be riding monorails by now, and that thought was 46 years ago.

You were a prophet! Hope we can keep the petroleum prices down through alternative energy competition. Not through a recession.