"High profits in up-cycles, they said, are needed to fund development in down-cycles."
I didn't see the hearings but this sounds like the same excuses they gave the last time. When was there a down-cycle for oil industry??? Is the panel just playing softball with these oil-moneybags? Did anybody question further about the down cycles? If there ever was downcycle, this time in history should be it. But no - historical record profits rolling in.