[Fitzcarraldo]

Preferably in the pockets of their shareholders, of course.

No problem with that but a company that is plagued by shutdowns because they are neglecting infrastructure upgrades and act of God events is not a very smart company.

[Alberta's Child]

"Infrastructure upgrades" are probably part of the normal business plan for a company of this size and in this type of industry, which means the profits are computed AFTER these expenditures have already been accounted for.

. . . a company that is plagued by shutdowns because they are neglecting infrastructure upgrades and act of God events is not a very smart company.

Maybe I'm really going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing the folks at Exxon-Mobil know a thing or two about running an energy company. LOL.

[ican'tbelieveit]

I am not sure they are neglecting anything. I heard a guy reading an editorial in the WSJ over the weekend that broke down how much in profits the oil companies were making (someone else has posted them on another thread, in the 9-10% range, not that big) and how much the companies were reinvesting in exploration and expansion. Something like 15 billion in 2004 alone.

Unfortunately, it is easy to pick on the oil companies because they are so evil, but in reality, I think the truth about their activities is being neglected.