First, oil prices reached a four-month high on Friday. Then, prices plunged on Monday. By Tuesday, they reached a two-week low. For observers, the roller-coaster volatility isn’t anything new, but historically, such unpredictable spikes and drops have been known to affect elections. Not this time, though, say National Journal ’s Energy and Environment Insiders. what do you think?

Republicans in both the House and Senate this year have proposed cutting funds for alternative-energy programs in the defense authorization bill. But these efforts won’t gain much traction, National Journal ’s Energy & Environment Insiders say. what do you think?

It might be getting hotter in Washington and across the United States, but the extreme weather won’t do much to heat up congressional action on the issue of climate change next year, most of National Journal ’s Energy and Environment Insiders say. what do you think?

This week, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is heading up the U.S. delegation to the United Nations Rio+20 Summit on sustainable development, but no one seems to be paying much attention. Part of the problem is the collapse of public confidence in the U.N. process and the inability of recent global conferences such as Rio to produce measurable results.  what do you think?

When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney made a surprise campaign stop last week at the shuttered headquarters of solar-panel firm Solyndra, his campaign aimed to use the now-bankrupt company as an example of President Obama’s faulty investments in clean energy. Most of National Journal ’s Energy & Environment Insiders think the strategy is working. what do you think?

Better dialogue between the White House and the oil and gas industry has lobbyists and congressional Republicans screaming “politics,” arguing that both sides have something to gain from warmer relations in an election year. But National Journal ’s Energy & Environment Insiders say that this ostensible “détente” won’t really do much for President Obama in November.  what do you think?

Although Senate support for a measure that would mandate approval of the Keystone XL pipeline has been growing, the majority of National Journal ’s Energy & Environment Insiders say the proposal is doomed to fail for the third time. Meanwhile, most Insiders — nearly 60 percent — agree that despite the controversy surrounding the renomination of Republican Kristine Svinicki to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Senate will indeed confirm her before her term expires on June 30.  what do you think?

After Obama last week unveiled an executive order meant to speed federal permitting of pipeline infrastructure, including the southern portion of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline, critics immediately jumped on the move, accusing Obama of being “the rooster taking credit for the dawn” and arguing that no federal action is actually needed for that portion of the Keystone pipeline to move forward. National Journal ’s Energy & Environment Insiders agree. More than 70 percent of Insiders said that Obama’s executive order was unnecessary, with some even saying the move smacks of federal overreach.  what do you think?

A narrow plurality of  National Journal ’s Energy and Environment Insiders predict that President Obama is going to issue controversial rules on greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants after November's presidential election.  what do you think?

It isn’t as easy as “drill, baby, drill” anymore. Energy messaging in political campaigns has gotten more complicated and nuanced since the well-known Republican battle cry in the 2008 elections. Today there are many more catchphrases in every politician’s playbook. One thing’s for sure, though: With gasoline prices already averaging $3.76 per gallon nationwide and headed higher, the mudslinging is just beginning.  National Journal ’s Energy and Environment Insiders say that Obama has the upper hand so far.  what do you think?