OPEC keeping cost of gas low to discourage alternatives like E85

OPEC wants gas prices at the sweet spot which looks a little like this: "high enough to justify its investment in future production capacity but low enough to allow economic growth and deter a flood of alternative fuels," or roughly $2.25 a gallon, according to Fox News. Good business sense or a case of irritating exploitation?

Regardless of one's interpretation, the idea seems to be that high fuel prices this summer and last stirred up the E85 pot enough that it freaked out our friends over at OPEC, who weren't thrilled to read about all of the plans to increase production of E85 and improve our infrastructure to distribute it. By reducing the price of gasoline, consumer confidence in gasoline and vehicles that don't burn it all too efficiently is back on the rise and interest in E85 and other alternative fuels has dipped once more.

[Fox News via GM Inside News and E85fuel.com]