The world has entered a new era of more expensive oil and greater competition for resources, and the U.S. will have to formulate a national energy policy to keep up, ChevronTexaco Corp. (CVX) Chief Executive David J. O'Reilly said Tuesday. "We're seeing the beginnings of a bidding war for Middle Eastern oil between East and West," he said.
Some analysts have argued rising demand in China and the U.S. has forced a permanent upward shift in the price of oil. O'Reilly gave some support to those views, saying the era of cheap oil is over.