Frank Munger at the Knoxville New Sentinel on the National Nuclear Security Administration's efforts to rush through a major rejiggering of the U.S. nuclear weapons complex:

[T]he NNSA is expected to issue a decision late this year on the future of the weapons complex and how it should be downsized, reorganized and prepped for future warhead work. I just don't think any of the big decisions taking place in 2008 are going to hold much weight because of the impending transition in Washington. It might make more sense if some of the things got put on hold rather than spending more millions of taxpayer dollars on reports soon bound for the recycling bin.

The Energy Information Administration has published an updated graphic showing where the price of a gallon of gas goes:

Here in New Mexico, the average gallon of gasoline dropped another penny today, according to AAA.  A spot check on GasBuddy of the usual outlying communities I watch shows drops as well, but I'd love to hear from you about what you're seeing in your community.

We tend not to pay close attention to the WCS hazardous waste disposal site because it's in Texas rather than New Mexico, and we're a New Mexico newspaper. But this interesting piece that originally ran in the Odessa American points out that Eunic, New Mexico, is the closest community to WCS, and some folks there are a little uncomfortable with what's going on:

For some, Waste Control Specialists' sprawling radioactive waste dump in Andrews County is a godsend.

It's one of few places nationwide where "hot" waste can be permanently disposed of after it serves its purpose in medical procedures, uranium processing and nuclear energy production -- a process that's been increasingly touted as a way to wean the United States off dependence on foreign oil.

But to Sierra Club members, a former Texas Commission on Environmental Quality geologist and some residents of Eunice, N.M., the site has grave potential to pollute.

The Commodities Futures Trading Commission has released its report on the role of speculators in the oil price runup, concluding that it was minimal:

The world economy has expanded at its fastest pace in decades, and that strong growth has translated into substantial increases in the demand for oil, particularly from emerging market countries. On the supply side, the production of oil has responded sluggishly, compounded by production shortfalls associated with geopolitical unrest in countries with large oil reserves. As it is very difficult to rely on substitutes for oil in the short term, very large price increases have occurred as the market balances supply and demand. 

This is consistent with the views of most economists I read, but inconsistent with the political tenor right now, as folks look for an easy focus of evil to blame for our problems. Meaning this report is likely to settle nothing.