Barack Obama understands that while many factors are contributing to record oil prices, we must do everything we can to help ease the burden on struggling families in the near term while putting in place policies like conservation, development of alternative fuels and investments in new technologies to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and reduce oil consumption by 35 percent, or 10 million barrels, by 2030. He is particularly concerned that unregulated energy speculators may be distorting the market by making excessive bets on the future price of oil. Independent experts across the political spectrum have argued that excessive speculation in oil futures is contributing to high energy and food prices. Barack Obama understands importance of a vibrant oil futures market to help producers and buyers hedge against swings in the price of oil. But he believes that when an absence of common sense rules allows a few energy lobbyists and speculators to undermine the public confidence in the integrity of the market , we need common sense changes to restore market fundamentals so they work for working families. Today, he called for stepped-up oversight of energy markets to help stabilize oil prices and ease the burden of high energy prices for American families.

The Obama Plan to Crack Down on Excessive Energy Speculation is presented here.

http://www.barackobama.com/2008/06/22/obama_announces_plan_to_fully.php