Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

[ifiok25]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Its cool that I'm getting a car in a few months, and I won't be able to afford to drive it. I love the state this world is in.

About 3 years ago I was really excited about getting my first car. I'm 19 now and don't have one. With gas at $3.50, I'll have to get a higher paying job/pay raise at the one I'm at now so my paychecks don't all go towards filling up the car. 10 years ago gas here in Nashville was only $0.85. Those good old days will never come back.

[SPTO]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

I heard horrible news today.

Gas is going up to 1.45 a litre this summer here in Canada. That's not the worst part, the worst part is that within 4 years we're going to see 2.45 gas per litre.

This is just CRAZY!

[pfunk880]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

I'm sure it has something to do with the environmentalist's 17 different kinds of fuel that are used during the summer time in different state's to meet environmental regulation. I mean, do we need 17 different types of gasoline??? Add to that that the dollar is worth less and that we haven't built a new oil refinery here in the United States is ... 33 YEARS, then you sort of have a problem, especially when supply has been dramatically increasing the entire time.

Of course there are other reasons, too. However, Bush isn't sitting in the oval office playfully manipulating gas prices. It is so funny to what lengths Bush-haters will go to say he does this sort of stuff.

Oil is up to $117 a barrel now, so I'd expect that with supply increasing and the 17 different kinds of gasoline kicking in this summer (as they do every summer), we could see prices increase to over $4.00 a gallon this summer (It's around $3.50 here in High Point, NC right now).

Oh, and ethanol is NOT the solution. We would have to virtually use the entire breadbasket of our country for JUST corn farms to grow enough corn to make the ethanol we need. In fact, I was something the other day talking about how people are starving in other countries since ethanol has pushed food prices higher, so the people are too poor to pay the higher prices. Ethanol is a POLTICAL solution, not a PRACTICAL solution. I personally think hydrogen fuel cell cars are the future, but we shall see.

I agree 100%

[Herky]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Alternative sources of fuel should have been invested in back in the 70's. Each president since shares blame for not getting the ball rolling. Now we are where we are and it's insane. Can you imagine if 20 years ago money and research was put into looking elsewhere? This whole situation sucks.

[Registered_Again]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

So why haven't these alternate fuels been put into place?

Or have they?

We haven't seen these fuels because our independence for oil was hampered 22 years ago by Opec, the US government funded a new project SFC (Synthetic Fuels Corp) in 1980 to R&D new ways of making cleaner fuels. At the time price for the barrel was at $32, during that 6 year period Opec brought down the price of the barrel to $8 which came down to SFC being cancelled in 1986. Opec underminded our efforts, and financially at the time it didn't make sense to keep going with the research since oil was so low in price. We need oil independence and we need to do it now otherwise we'll be in big trouble. We could have been far ahead in synthetic fuels development if it weren't for Opec.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Yeah, ethanol is an absolutely terrible idea when food riots are happening around the world. But that's America, we'd rather feed our cars so we can go drive around aimlessly than to feed people around the world so they don't die from hunger (or hate us as much as they do).

As far as hydrogen, until there is a reliable and reasonably cheap way to produce it without the use of grid electricity (which is of course from coal plants), it's another case of a solution that just causes more problems. The Air Car is where it's at: http://zeropollutionmotors.us/?page_id=38

But what we really need to do is invest in public transportation infrastructure that gets people from the suburbs to the city quickly and safely. We haven't had a major infrastructure investment in this damn country since Eisenhower built the highway system in the 50's -- yet we've had plenty of time/money/effort spent on illegal wars and invasions... good times, good times... God I hate it.

[TarHeelsUNC]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

From everything I've read, extracting oil from algae cultivations is the most feasible source of alternative energy. Also, I figure that scientists could genetically engineer a species that would produce even more oil than usual. I don't know why we don't hear about algae as much as we do other "alternatives" such as starving people to use corn as a fuel, or dehydrating people to use hydrogen. I doubt algae farming and oil extraction would kill anyone.

EDIT: Hope this isn't considered political, but I think a Gas Tax Holiday would have a negative effect. The oil companies would raise prices to compensate for the amount removed by removing the tax. When the tax is reinstated, it's as if the tax is doubled.

[Heelfan71]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

it's all a scam. These companies are making record profits while we and businesses who rely on gas are struggling. They raise prices real high and then lower them a tad and we think we are getting a good deal. They are conditioning us for high prices. I despise these companies now.

[Stumbleweed]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

The bottom line is that we need to get off of oil completely ("we" meaning the "First-world" countries). The developing world has a lot more of an excuse to still be working with coal plants than we do. The fact that our president is still trumpeting the "clean coal" plants in this day and age (which is an much of a misnomer as "Clean Forests Initiative") drives me absolutely crazy.

Extracting oil from other sources (algae, switchgrass, shale, etc.) is a band-aid solution, and should only be used in the developing world that still is completely tied to fossil fuels. The first-world nations need to take the initiative and not worry about what India and China are doing right now -- that's the whole hold-up with the US signing the Kyoto Protocol... the leaders seem to think that China and India should be able to meet those standards as well, even though their infrastructure is almost 50 years behind ours in terms of power plants, etc. Add that to their insane demand (due to population), and there's no way they can meet those standards. The US is expecting too much and not giving enough of themselves to this cause -- we should be setting hard goals of 90% energy independence within 20 years -- that's the kind of lofty goal that would jumpstart industry (assuming it received adequate government funding as well).

Again, there is a CAR THAT RUNS ON AIR up to 35 MPH (and small amounts of fuel to heat an air tank at high speeds) that will be on the market in 2010. If the government actually put some of its money and muscle behind these kinds of projects instead of kow-towing to the moneyed oil interests that funded many of their campaigns, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. It's sickening.

And they're still getting record profits despite working in an industry that is inevitably going to lose ALL of its capital due in large part to its own greed. I can't wait for oil to run out, honestly -- we need catastrophes like that to move on as a people... this complacency has kept us in a rut since WWII.

[ZB9]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

it's all a scam. These companies are making record profits while we and businesses who rely on gas are struggling. They raise prices real high and then lower them a tad and we think we are getting a good deal. They are conditioning us for high prices. I despise these companies now.

let me cut and paste this for some of yall that dont understand what is going on. Ive worked in the oil/gas business for quite a while.

Gas companies might raise prices somewhat here and there, but they have ALWAYS done that. It is no different. It's all of the other factors stacked on top of the usual from gas companies that allows it to be high.

do you think world demand is increasing or decreasing?...At the same time, do you think all of the restrictions in this country is decreasing supply from our domestic oil companies?

of course there are a million factors (value of the US dollar, oil futures trading, unstable world events, etc..), but good old fashioned supply and demand is absolutely a main factor. We dont have a shortage right now, but oil is not a renewable resource, and demand is doing nothing but increasing...so a shortage is inevitable.

btw, domestic oil companies do not control everything, and they are not the enemy. While the government talks, Oil companies actually work and increase supply. Getting "tough" on them, and adding more restrictions for them (environmental or not) is not the way to increase supply, or lessen the dependence on foreign oil.

we cant be environmentally responsible, AND have cheap gas. We cant have it both ways right now. Folks dont even want to let people drill in Anwar, or even much in the Gulf of Mexico, etc. Yet, many of the same people complaining about drilling act like it's their God given right to have cheap gas lol.

another btw, the government could lower the price immediately quite a bit if they lessened the size of their pie and lowered their federal gas tax...but of course they arent touching that. They talk and act like oil companies are the enemy, while they make money from the people they are criticizing...but most of the people in govt talking dont actually do crap. Most of them act like they have no idea about energy...and it's been getting worse since '06.

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

let me cut and paste this for some of yall that dont understand what is going on. Ive worked in the oil/gas business for quite a while.

Gas companies might raise prices somewhat here and there, but they have ALWAYS done that. It is no different. It's all of the other factors stacked on top of the usual from gas companies that allows it to be high.

do you think world demand is increasing or decreasing?...At the same time, do you think all of the restrictions in this country is decreasing supply from our domestic oil companies?

of course there are a million factors (value of the US dollar, oil futures trading, unstable world events, etc..), but good old fashioned supply and demand is absolutely a main factor. We dont have a shortage right now, but oil is not a renewable resource, and demand is doing nothing but increasing...so a shortage is inevitable.

btw, domestic oil companies do not control everything, and they are not the enemy. While the government talks, Oil companies actually work and increase supply. Getting "tough" on them, and adding more restrictions for them (environmental or not) is not the way to increase supply, or lessen the dependence on foreign oil.

we cant be environmentally responsible, AND have cheap gas. We cant have it both ways right now. Folks dont even want to let people drill in Anwar, or even much in the Gulf of Mexico, etc. Yet, many of the same people complaining about drilling act like it's their God given right to have cheap gas lol.

another btw, the government could lower the price immediately quite a bit if they lessened the size of their pie and lowered their federal gas tax...but of course they arent touching that. They talk and act like oil companies are the enemy, while they make money from the people they are criticizing...but most of the people in govt talking dont actually do crap. Most of them act like they have no idea about energy...and it's been getting worse since '06.

Let's not act like the oil companies have the consumer's best interest at heart. Let's not act like they aren't price gouging. I find it awfully funny all of the refineries go down for maintenance when demand is at it's peak.

While a lot of it is our own fault for so much reliance on oil and specifically foreign oil, let's not paint the domestic oil companies in a different light. It's no accident they are recording record profits while prices are skyrocketing. Let's not act like they aren't manipulating the market. Let's not act like the energy/oil lobby isn't keeping us from developing and expanding on reneweble energy technologies.

Yes global economics, and things such as supply and demand are definitely factors, but the oil companies are certainly to blame, and are certainly capitalizing on the current conditions, and they are certainly way, way too powerful from a political perspective.

[ZB9]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

Let's not act like the oil companies have the consumer's best interest at heart. Let's not act like they aren't price gouging. I find it awfully funny all of the refineries go down for maintenance when demand is at it's peak.

While a lot of it is our own fault for so much reliance on oil and specifically foreign oil, let's not paint the domestic oil companies in a different light. It's no accident they are recording record profits while prices are skyrocketing. Let's not act like they aren't manipulating the market. Let's not act like the energy/oil lobby isn't keeping us from developing and expanding on reneweble energy technologies.

Yes global economics, and things such as supply and demand are definitely factors, but the oil companies are certainly to blame, and are certainly capitalizing on the current conditions, and they are certainly way, way too powerful from a political perspective.

good points imo, but that isnt much of a change. Oil companies have always been that way. Price gouging is not new...and the big ones have always had too much political power.

imo there are a lot of other new factors stacked on top of that domino that is causing the situation.

i agree that we put ourselves behind the 8 ball, and we are having to catch up. I guess necessity will have to become the mother of invention eventually, when it comes to alternate sources of energy, because we only have so much oil and demand is skyrocketing all over the world. We wont have to worry about tapping out in our lifetime though (but we will obviously want to think about future generations and we are going to have to deal with some energy crisis).

what is gas like in California? I imagine yall have the record for highest gas prices right now.

[ZB9]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

btw, the oil company I work for is a smaller company. I can tell you that added restrictions affect our production, and therefore it does affect national supply if you add up all of the thousands of smaller companies like us.

If the govt. "gets tough" on big oil...it effects the entire industry, including all of the smaller companies, and hurts supply. Regardless of all of the other factors, increased supply locally does help national gas prices. The more we produce here, the less we would need to get from South America and other places.

international oil companies, and OPEC, love when the US government "gets tougher" on domestic oil companies. This countries' supply is only a drop in the bucket compared to OPEC. However, considering the percentage of the worlds oil this country uses, it makes things better for the foreigners and their profits when our government is screwing up our own supply like they have been doing since '06.

It helps foreign oil companies moreso than American consumers. That says it all right there.

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

what is gas like in California? I imagine yall have the record for highest gas prices right now.

Unfortunately both my cars require Supreme. I paid $4.17 the other day to fill up the Infiniti.

I think when I filled the Murano it was in that ballpark. I think it was about $85 to fill the tank, but I was literally running on fumes.

[bkrich83]

Re: Can anyone explain to me why gas is still rising?

btw, the oil company I work for is a smaller company. I can tell you that added restrictions affect our production, and therefore it does affect national supply if you add up all of the thousands of smaller companies like us.

If the govt. "gets tough" on big oil...it effects the entire industry, including all of the smaller companies, and hurts supply. Regardless of all of the other factors, increased supply locally does help national gas prices. The more we produce here, the less we would need to get from South America and other places.

international oil companies, and OPEC, love when the US government "gets tougher" on domestic oil companies. This countries' supply is only a drop in the bucket compared to OPEC. However, considering the percentage of the worlds oil this country uses, it makes things better for the foreigners and their profits when our government is screwing up our own supply like they have been doing since '06.

It helps foreign oil companies moreso than American consumers. That says it all right there.

Let's face it though, it's not just the government getting tough on oil companies. And the govt has had to get tough on those companies for a reason. However it does provide a good excuse for the big companies like Exxon to gouge us.

Imo, it's only a matter of time before price regulation hits. What oil companies are doing is borderline criminal. That being said, it's the consumer's fault for being so oil dependent, and also for allowing the oil lobby to be so powerful.