Mary08

Can Big Oil Balance Shareholder Interest Against National Interest?

"...Why would a geological exploration and organic chemical manufacturer have anything to bring to the table in batter design, or in wind generation?..."

Well... the future is nanotechnology and only a few companies can afford to pour money into it's research. Think of the big picture...down the road.

This is what is so misunderstood.... Exxonmobil has diversified. They are heavy into nanotechnology. They are teaming up with auto manf. to develop new cars. They developed cleaner refinery technology to sell to others.

"... The ExxonMobil Baytown refinery announced Wednesday the start-up of new facilities that are expected to reduce sulfur content of motor gasoline it produces by 90 percent.

The three-year project included construction of the world's largest SCANfining unit, which uses ExxonMobil's proprietary SCANfining process to selectively remove sulfur from cracked naphtha while minimizing the loss of octane in the resulting gasoline...."
www.bizjournals.com/ho...

and here is a site you will enjoy checking out...
www.exxonmobil.com/Cor...

On Jul 12 02:32 PM TobyConsidin e wrote:

> I would far far rather see big energy companies restricted from investing
> in alternative energy that I would anything like what is suggested
> in this article. Why would a geological exploration and organic chemical
> manufacturer have anything to bring to the table in batter design,
> or in wind generation?
>
> Saying these companies have an expertise in "Energy" is just a small
> variation of the argument that drives companies to build conglomerates
> because their expertise in "Management"... A company does well, and
> is innovative, when it knows its market, maintains its focus, and
> performs. Energy is to broad a category. (The old SNL routine about
> the product that was both a floor wax and a desert topping comes
> to mind...)
>
> If you really believe that Big Oil is blocking the development of
> Alternative Energy because it interferes with rent seeking in their
> current markets, why on earth would you urge them to get more involved
> in that business? If COBASYS is the answer, then taking it private
> would be the best route for COBASYS, and the best economic alternative
> for Exxon would be to divest, not invest.
>
> I will never understand arguments that begin..."The Fox is in the
> hen coop. Lets create legislation that all Foxes must keep at least
> 10 chickens at all times...." And the shareholders of Exxon should
> be up in arms that they are not receiving tradeable interests in
> the spun-off company...