CNNMoney - Special Report Energy Fix, Last Updated: July 28, 2008: 10:51 AM EDT

Shale gas holds great promise as a domestic energy source, but some say the rules covering the chemicals used to extract it are too lax.

By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — New technology and higher prices have brought vast domestic oil and natural gas deposits within reach to a country desperate for new energy sources. But danger comes with this bounty: Chemicals used to extract this energy may contaminate the groundwater.

Striking the right balance between drilling and protecting the environment is in everyone’s best interest and new questions are surfacing about whether regulators are up to the task.

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Associated Press - Fri Jul 25, 5:01 PM ET

Whether or not any bubble has burst, Americans now live in an economy where the prospect of a gallon of gas for less than $4 is cause for relief.

By ADAM SCHRECK, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK - Whether or not any bubble has burst, Americans now live in an economy where the prospect of a gallon of gas for less than $4 is cause for relief.

That barrier may be broken as early as this weekend, as a two-week nosedive in crude prices begins to ripple out to gas stations nationwide.

The national average for a gallon of regular pulled back to just above $4 a gallon and oil tumbled to its lowest point in weeks Friday on the belief that prices have yet to reflect just how badly demand has deteriorated in the United States, the world’s thirstiest oil consumer.

Prices at the pump are poised to dip even further, and could cost as much as 25 cents less by Labor Day, AAA spokesman Geoff Sundstrom said.

“People say typically prices shoot up like a rocket, fall like a feather. But this time … it looks like it’s different,” Sundstrom said. “The retail sector is interested in bringing these prices down as fast as they can to stimulate business in their convenience stores.”

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CNNMoney - Special Report Energy Fix, Last Updated: July 23, 2008: 3:15 PM EDT

Inventory report shows higher-than-expected stockpiles of crude and gasoline, as demand for oil products slumps. Bearish Fed Beige Book worries traders that demand destruction will continue.

By David Goldman, CNNMoney.com staff writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Oil prices continued to decline Wednesday, after a government report showed stronger-than-expected inventories and a Federal Reserve report showed a weakening economy.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery fell $3.98 to settle at $124.44 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

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BUSINESSWEEK - News & Features July 18, 2008, 2:39PM EST

Sales of small cars have surged as gas has risen. That’s good news for carmakers, but there’s a problem: They don’t have enough of them

by Jim Henry

Contrary to what we’ve been hearing, not all auto sales this year have been in the wood chipper. Even more surprisingly, especially for those used to reading about the dominance of imports, many of these best sellers have even come out of Detroit.

In stark contrast to recent years, this year’s big volume gainers have four-cylinder engines that get 30 mpg or more on the highway. That trend favors import brands, but the increased demand has also prompted Ford Motor (F) and General Motors (GM) to increase production of some of its newly popular smaller models, including the Ford Focus and the Chevrolet Cobalt.

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CNNMoney - Special Report Energy Fix, Last Updated: July 17, 2008: 5:35 PM EDT

Rumors that Mexico is locking in oil contracts for future delivery at today’s prices prompt questions of whether oil’s record run has come to a halt.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — In the last three days oil prices have fallen by roughly $10 a barrel. Many analysts say slackening demand, or the threat of it, is the main culprit.

But another force could be at work in the background. Last week various analysts said there was talk that Mexico, the world’s fifth largest oil producer, was hedging its bets - the country was said to be signing contracts to deliver oil several years into the future at today’s prices. Essentially, it was betting oil prices have peaked.

“This is a smart move,” said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at Alaron Trading in Chicago, who also thinks there’s a good chance prices have peaked. “If I were an oil producer, I’d want to lock in these prices.”

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CNNMoney - Last Updated: July 15, 2008: 4:56 PM EDT

Crude falls $6.45 a barrel - 2nd largest price drop in dollar terms - as Fed chief indicates inflation and high fuel prices will cut into U.S. demand for oil.

By Kenneth Musante and David Goldman, CNNMoney.com staff writers

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Oil prices plummeted by the second-largest margin on record Tuesday as investors feared a further decline in U.S. demand after hearing comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

Light, sweet crude fell $6.44 to settle at $138.74 a barrel in trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The drop in oil was the largest single-day slide in dollar terms since Jan. 17, 1991, when oil fell by $10.56. On that day, President George H.W. Bush withdrew oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve ahead of the first Gulf War.

But in 1991, oil was trading at just $32 a barrel, so the more than $10 slide in dollar terms represented a record 33% drop. Oil fell 4.4% Tuesday, which does not even crack the top 100 price declines in percentage terms.

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CNNMoney - Last Updated: July 15, 2008: 4:53 PM EDT

Wall Street ends volatile session mixed as slumping bank sector and Bernanke comments on the economy counter GM and oil-price tumble.

By Alexandra Twin, CNNMoney.com senior writer

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Stocks gave up a recovery attempt Tuesday, ending mostly lower, as falling oil prices failed to distract investors from slumping technology shares amid ongoing fears about the credit market and the economy.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 0.8% and closed at its lowest point since July 21, 2006. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (SPX) index lost 1.1% and closed at its lowest point since Nov. 2, 2005.

The tech-heavy Nasdaq composite (COMP) gained 0.1%.

Stocks were especially volatile Tuesday, with the Dow down more than 225 points early in the session on dour economic news and more concerns about the financial market crisis.

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