Who makes the most money out of the oil and gas industry - Governments or the Oil Companies?

I think it could be argued that in the US, at least, the two are, in reality, one and the same.

On the subject of how much land it would take to grow enough oil producing crops, I think that's probably another red herring. If the US (Archer Daniels Midland) would use the corn it grows to produce oil, instead of putting it into every single food source manufactured in the US (thereby making it almost impossible for people with corn allergies like me to find food I can eat), the US could probably reduce its dependence on Middle East oil by a significant percent. Of course, then they would have to lift the tarrif on sugar from non-corn sources, which makes it too expensive for most food manufacturers in the US to use in their products.