Business: Deliberating on Oil Decontrol

Carter's aides favor freeing up prices but differ on how much, how soon

In spite of all the talk about the need for an energy policy, the U.S. remains maddeningly vulnerable to fuel cutoffs.

Last week brought yet more evidence of that depressing fact as new petroperils were turning up everywhere.

Continuing a rash of price-gouging moves by many oil nations, Nigeria, the fourth largest producer in the 13-nation OPEC cartel, indicated that it was planning to tack on an export surcharge of perhaps as much as 17%. That advance will add further pressure for a...

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