While New Orleans residents ponder the prospect of another hurricane direct hit three years after Katrina, oil traders have so far been indifferent as Gustav churns toward

the Gulf of Mexico. Prices dropped $2.56 to $115.59 per barrel by the close of the market Thursday. Oil companies are busy pulling workers and suspending drilling activity on the thousands of offshore rigs in the Gulf, but energy industry expert  RENATO BERTANI says a market overreaction causings a spike in prices is unnecessary. "A short-term increase is certainly expected, but oil companies are better equipped than ever to efficiently move their personnel to safety and quickly return to operations when the storm has passed," says Bertani of Houston's Thompson & Knight Global Energy Services. "Although it's impossible to definitively predict the effect of a hurricane, companies have made increased investments in technology and transportation to protect both their facilities and workers, so it's hoped the impact will be minimal." To interview Mr. Bertani about the energy industry, contact Barry Pound at 800-559-4534 or barry@androvett.com.