Here's why the oil companies are hiking the price of gasoline

Sure, part of it is so that EVERY executive in the industry can be as fat and happy as Lee Raymond....but there's another benefit:

President Bush on Tuesday ordered a temporary suspension of environmental rules for gasoline, making it easier for refiners to meet demand and possibly dampen prices at the pump. He also halted for the summer the purchase of crude oil for the government's emergency reserve.

[snip]

Easing the environment rules will allow refiners greater flexibility in providing oil supplies since they will not have to use certain additives such as ethanol to meet clean air standards. The suspension of oil purchases for the federal emergency oil reserve is likely to have only modest impact since relative little extra oil will be involved.

So next time your neighbor complains that his kid had a bad asthma attack last night because the air quality was so bad, point to his Ford Excursion and ask him if being able to play Biggest Dickus with everyone else on the road is really worth it.