Natural gas prices have been cut in half under Obama, and domestic production is booming as you should know. I'm sure you can find an over-aggressive regulator here or there if that is what you are looking for, but if what you are looking for is the big picutre, gas companies are obviously more than able to do business in the current regulatory environment.
"Refineries" are not being regulated out of business-- this is just uninformed nonsense. More refining is taking place than ever-- in fact, in 2011, the United States became a net exporter of refined petroleum products for the first time in over 60 years! Again, I'm sure you can find a refiner that was put out of business if that is what you are looking for. Maybe they even deserved it! Maybe, for instance, the BP refinery in Texas that exploded in 2005 and killed 15 people and injured 170 should have been put out of business by regulators.
As far as gasoline prices being high, the U.S. has minimal control over that, and that has been the case since the 70s. Oil was up to near $150 a barrel in 2008 under Bush-- and I don't think anyone accused Bush of trying to regulate the oil industry out of business.
By the way, the BP oil spill was the only excuse Obama ever needed to really crack down on the oil and gas industry, if that's the direction he wanted to go. He could have done everything you accuse him of, and have had at least some reason to do it, but he didn't.
In the face of the facts, your context-free quote from a low level administration appointee just doesn't carry any weight.
Hope you are still enjoying your lucrative research business from the gas companies, Bossman! I'm also doing pretty well in the Obama economy-- better then I would have thought, given the sad shape the economy was in four years ago.
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