Gas Prices

[toocrazy2yoo]

Gasoline prices are a sidebar to the larger problems in the
supply/consumption chain.

The first long term solution is to generate our electricity with nuclear. Period. There is no excuse for burning oil (or coal) to generate electricity. None. Except for the environmental-protest industry, we'd be doing just that. If France, Britain and Germany can do it (80 or 90% of their electricity is Nuke, I believe?), what, WE can't?

Short term, sorry, sport utility fans, these things have GOT to come off the road. They represent 40% of motor fuel burned. Swapping the sport utilities for cars getting merely thrice their mileage would INSTANTLY solve our short term gasoline supply issues. We're at just a couple of percentage points shy of supply vs. demand as regards our refinery capacity. The disparity results in the spot supply shortages and recent run-up in pricing. Sport utilities and gas-hog cars ARE the difference as regards motor fuels. Solution? Forcing folks to justify their sport utility usage via business/construction/commercial people hauling before they take these things off the showroom floor or renewing tags and registrstion would instantly solve the problem, again, short term. Same for big, gas hog cars that folks line the roads in Washington one commuter to a vehicle. Short term, the "Hey, look at me burn gas faster than you!" folks are the immediate problem. Sorry, sporties, it just IS. Do you have the right to them, and the gas hog cars, too? Yep! But do NOT sit there and say you aren't the short-term problem. And please, spare us the "safety" issues involved in driving smaller vehicles. Don't hit things and there's no safety issue, only an ego issue.

Then, of course, there's the supply-side of the energy-shortage issue. We need to build, drill, refine and conserve our way out of this problem, it's all very simple to do, except for the environmental folks pushing irrational restrictions/bans on nuclear, drilling, and new refineries (without alternative proposals) on the industry regardless of detriment to our economy and country.

Not one element of the consumer/protestor lineup will bend, hence the producers are hamstrung, and as usual, there's no national leadership to break the deadlocks on these issues. And if there's no break in the deadlocks, we're doomed. Someone show me where I'm wrong.

 

[BrianWC]

Quote:

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The US has not built a refinery in about 30 years. Every time it is mentioned the environmentalists have a fit.

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You know, I'm no enviroweenie but this is a bit of a copout. My local public service commission member (the body that regulates utilities and the like in Louisiana) has stated repeatedly that Louisiana would do all it took to help entice new refineries and no one has approached them. The oil companies are walking a delicate tightrope between maximizing profits and angering the consumer. I don't blame them. It's a business, and if you're not in business to make money you aren't in business long.

 

[SrDriver]

Think we may see a break in the price of fuel until 1 June when the government requires the "Summer Blend". Have read that could increase prices in many areas another 12 - 14 ¢ a gallon.

 

[Steelhead]

oil corporations have no incentive nor competition to force them into building new refinerys. they also cannot afford to invest billions of $$$$ into a venture that may only last 10>20 years
the oil industry has became similar to the consumer diamond industry, no competion and they control the supply and price

why sell gasoline now for $2 a gal when they can get $8 a gallon in 5 years

 

[Steve S]

People around here are driving like they are qualifying for the Indy 500 in their suvs .Gas is not too expensive. Gas prices have been going up really fast for the last 10 years. shame on all those with out enough foresight am\nd bought gas guzzelers and are complaining!!!

 

[Auto-Union]

I've given up caring about the price. I drive a small0ish car, not too hard and shop for a few $.c off. What else is there to do? I let the car sit home on days that I really don't have to go anywhere. There's just no fighting it. I say we should look more critically at the American ~fantasy~ of driving a big fast car as much as you want. That, imo, is an antiquated notion -at BEST! Some people can't shrug that notion, to their own demise, and sadly, it affects the price ultimately. Frankly, there are more than a few people around me who aren't happy unless they have some power tool/equipment/ motorized something or other roaring away next to them. I say the biggest motorhome that had a few dirt bikes strapped to the back, towing an jumbo SUV. I said, wow...that's an affliction! I'm happy, not with a powerboat or motorbike, but a canoe and bicycle -plus I do most yardwork by hand....but like I said, some people can't imagine NOT haveing a roaring engine going. Whatever.

 

[ALS]

In a couple of weeks I'm heading down to Fl to see family.
With today's gas prices in my 97 Volvo 960 I'm looking at using 77 gallons of fuel round trip. At $3.20 a gallon on average I have a cost of $246 plus $3 in tolls on the WVa turnpike. Even with another $4 in LC FP60 I'm looking at $125 each way.
So what is it really costing with gas up .75 cents per gallon. $29 extra each way. Boo Hoo let me whine. What a case of 6 bottles of Mobil 1 or Syntec and a good oil filter?
15,000 miles a year at 20 miles per gallon. $47 extra in fuel cost per month. $47 divided by 4.3 weeks in a month is $10.90 a week. Well I guess you will have to switch to McDonald's coffee over Starbucks to save money for gas.
I hear one more person whine how they will not be able to afford to go on vacation I'm going to scream.

 

[javacontour]

For many of us here, people who have decent jobs, can afford internet access, and so forth, the price of fuel going up is merely an inconvenience. We have to decide between "Starbucks" or "Gas"

Oilbabe is a social worker in an elementary school. Many of those parents have much tougher choices to make. I don't want to go down the path of they made their bed, because I would probably agree with those who would cite the decisions (or perhaps failure to take prudent precautions) of many of these folks in getting pregnant, dropping out of school, getting hooked on drugs or alcohol, etc.

What I'm saying is that there is a significant portion of the population that is really hurt by having gasoline triple in price over the past 5 years, give or take.

Of course, they are probably not the vacation taking set anyway, but to say that this will not impact families is a myopic view.

It may not impact my family. But the flip side of looking at the numbers for operating my $2500 beater, gas is a significant portion of the operating costs for the $500 car segment of the population.

 

[javacontour]

BTW, I was able to cut about 5000 miles off my driving last year. I expect to cut off more when oilbabe moves up here, as I was putting in maybe 300 miles/week in seeing her.

That's 15K miles, or the mileage I put on my Scion tC in it's first year.

That's another 500 gallons of fuel I'll not use, or about $1000 to $1500/year I'll not be spending.

 

[thunderchild]

I stopped worrying about gas prices awhile ago. I have so much going on in my life to worry about. Between my job that I drive 100 miles a day to and from and running 2 other companies, I treat it like food. I need it to survive, so I buy it. I do look at what I pay when I fill up, it is a tax write-off. But until I see it say $5.50 per gallon, I don't sweat it. My personal $.02 and not meant to insight a riot. This is how I handle it.

 

[thunderchild]

Oh, I forgot to add that I do use FP60 and LC20. They have helped my gas mileage a bit. I do 95%+ highway driving so I keep an eye on my consumption enough to know I am getting better mileage than before I started using them.