We don't need them, especially with all the finds here in the U.S. like in the Bakken shale. I know for a fact it's not affecting the supply, once again, go talk to the boys in Cushing.
The restriction of permits has been a factor. Still though, Cushing actually proves the point. If we have plenty of supply, why is the price so high? I'll tell ya. It's because of our monetary policy with zero interest money and QE2, with talk of QE3. With the government giving away money and telling everyone that they are going to print a crapload of money, what do you think investors are going to do with the cash? Of course they are going to commodities. If that isn't by design from the administration, then the administration is a bunch of retards for not realizing that is what they are doing. They know exactly what they are doing.
As for electric cars being charges off of the grid, you guys might want to look into the studies by Oak Ridge Labs and others that have indicated that almost the entire fuel consumption for transportation could be replaced with idle capacity in the electric grid, i.e. no need for more generation capacity to be built and no additional fossil fuels to be burned.