Here's the problem that the petroleum industry is going to have to deal with for the foreseeable future: the world has adjusted to high oil prices by cutting back on consumption, not as a cost saving measure, but by sheer necessity. Now those cuts are permanently built in to cost structures by efficiency gains, and alternatives to oil products.
Maybe the petroleum industry should take a cue from the utilities, and jack up rates by citing reduced demand vs. fixed costs.
As long as OPEC can produce a barrel cheaper than us, we'll be behind the eight-ball.