In reality, said David Goodstein, a physics professor at the California Institute of Technology and author of “Out of Gas: The End of the Age of Oil,” we’re nowhere near a good market situation.

“There’s very little excess capacity,” he said. “Everyone is pretty much maxed out in terms of production.”

Yet that’s not the song OPEC has sung year after year…

“If they can keep people believing they can flood the market with cheap oil anytime they want, no one will pursue alternatives,” Goodstein said. “But it’s just a myth. Supplies are very tight.”