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No shortage of energy claims -- true and otherwise

Gas prices are up, and politicians are pouncing. Gas prices are up, and politicians are pouncing.

Gas prices are up, and politicians are pouncing.

Molly Moorhead
By Molly Moorhead April 3, 2012

You’ve probably noticed that a fill-up is a bigger drain on your wallet these days than it used to be. And maybe you’ve heard the cacophony of politicians telling you why gas prices have surged and who’s to blame.

President Barack Obama is trying to strike a chord with beleaguered drivers by reminding them how prosperous the oil companies are. His opponents are telling voters the president could be doing more to boost production and drive prices down.

This week at PolitiFact, we’re distilling a few of the claims from this gusher.

So far, we’ve rated a claim True that Exxon made $4.7 million an hour in profits last year. (Yes, you read that right.)

But we found another that Obama opposed oil exploration in Alaska only Half True.

And it’s Mostly True that the U.S. is producing 14 percent less oil off public lands than a year ago.

There’s more to come in the ever-popular gas price blame game, so stay tuned.

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No shortage of energy claims -- true and otherwise