December 24, 200816 yr The car is still king here, like most places in the United States, but Knoxville has developed a 41-mile greenway system that keeps Richards mostly on paved trails and off city streets. I would ride a bike to work if I had somewhere to ride it, other than sharing the road with a car. Just need to get someone in charge who is open to this idea. Yeah, if there was an entire lane dedicated to biking, I doubt I would drive anywhere, unless it is below zero.
January 5, 200916 yr http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/12/31/notes123108.DTL The Last Road Trip Freakishly cheap gas? Nation broke? Just hit the road By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Something is deeply wrong. Something is bizarre and upside-down and perverse and it's not just fish pedicures or Rod Blagojevich's hair or the fact that people still care in the slightest about the sad and toothless chyme that is Britney Spears' White Trash Lite™ career. It's gas. The price of oil. Or I should say, the stunning, creepy, impossibly low price of Satan's lubricant, Bush's blood, our own personal Jesus. Have you noticed? How could you not? ......... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 6, 200916 yr January 6, 2009 As Prices Rise, Some See $2 Gas By CLIFFORD KRAUSS New York Times HOUSTON — The five-month slide in gasoline prices has come to an abrupt halt, with gasoline rising by several cents in recent days amid indicators that the national average could jump to $2 a gallon or higher this spring. A broad shift in the psychology of the oil market seems to be under way. Oil prices are up more than 40 percent since they bottomed out just below $33 a barrel on Dec. 19. The reversal, after months of declines, suggests that production cuts by the OPEC cartel may be having an effect, along with growing tensions in the Middle East and the sentiment by traders that the precipitous drop in prices went too far. Full story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/business/06gasoline.html?_r=1&th&emc=th
January 6, 200916 yr The Last Road Trip... By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist Wednesday, December 31, 2008 ... This is what it really means: massive production slowdown, worldwide. It means: Auto industry collapse. It means: demand is so freakishly low that even coddled Saudi sheiks are parking their chrome Mercedes McLaren SLRs at the guest mansion and driving the lowly Cayenne Turbo to their gilded office towers made of diamonds and virgins and cheap immigrant labor. See? Bleak all around. ... Morford has it all wrong. It is not the "economic slowdown" driving prices down. What had happened was that investors "over-speculated" in oil futures. Those investors were forced to liquidate to generate some cash and henceforth sold their oil-futures-investments at a steep loss. Hence, the drop in prices at the gasoline pump. After these futures play out, the price will readjust.
January 6, 200916 yr ^Yeah, if it was the way he stated, that would skyrocket the prices wouldn't it? I thought I was missing something as I originally read that, glad I didn't.
January 6, 200916 yr It's very difficult for speculation to drive up oil prices because all oil futures contracts end in the delivery of the amount of oil specified in the contract. If you don't sell the futures contract before you take delivery then the contract becomes a worthless piece of paper. Thus the futures price for a deliverable commodity is based on something other than the demand for the piece of paper -- like fundamentals of supply and demand. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
January 6, 200916 yr ^Haha! I'm not sure there is ever a time when you should really yay! deflation. I mean, it's just too bad of a sign. (edit:oh wow somehow i read the wrong thing, I'm way late. . .)
January 23, 200916 yr Driving continues to decline, even in November after prices fell.... http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/22/news/economy/gas_use/index.htm Special Report Energy Fix Americans driving less Gas prices spiked last year and motorists drove 112 billion fewer miles, according to a federal report. By Lara Moscrip, CNNMoney.com contributing writer Last Updated: January 22, 2009: 4:20 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- As gas prices spiked last year, American motorists responded by driving less. Motorists drove 112 billion fewer miles during the 13-month period between November 1, 2007 and November 30, 2008 compared with the year-prior period, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Thursday.... Driving volume posted its steepest monthly drop in November since 1971, the DOT reported. Americans drove 5.3% less, or 12.9 billion fewer miles, compared with November 2007. Full story at above link: ........ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 1, 200916 yr http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/009371.html We're Working Longer Than Ever to Pay for Fossil Fuels Eric De Place January 29, 2009 1:31 PM Americans are falling behind -- most of us anyway. We're working longer than ever before to maintain a standard of living that once we took for granted. With respect to gas prices, average Americans are much worse off than they were in 1970. The working poor, in particular, are getting absolutely crushed. Their economic standing has deteriorated even faster than the middle class. At average prices in 2008, a full day's work at the federal minimum wage would scarcely pay for a single tank of gas. In a car-dependent nation, that means that even basic transportation is quickly getting out of reach for low-income families. This piece originally appeared on the Sightline Institute's blog, The Daily Blog... http://daily.sightline.org/daily_score/archive/2009/01/28/time-in-the-tank-updated "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 1, 200916 yr Those charts could look very different using different points in time for each of those years. Oil is a hell of a lot more volatile than something like milk. I just filled my brother's cadillac up half way for 8 bucks. The current 1.77 is amazing. Thank God we have cheap gas right now during the recession.
February 1, 200916 yr Enjoy it while it lasts. We're only now understanding the dynamics of being so close to the peak in global oil production, including the queuing theory of oil prices.... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 1, 200916 yr I just realized that my mathematical look into the impact of highway expansion on worsening our balance of payments in global trade was posted in the wrong thread. So I moved it and the subsequent discussion over to "Rethinking transport in the USA" at: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,14971.msg363852.html#msg363852 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
February 27, 200916 yr "NOTE: The tally of U.S. electric trolleybus systems, earlier stated as three, has been corrected to four." This quote from the topic above is not entirely accurate. The five US ETB cities are: Boston, Philadelphia (system was partially dismantled for rebuilding but should be up and running by now) Seattle, San Fransisco, and Dayton. In Canada, Edmonton's aging fleet is being phased out but Vancouver still has a large, new fleet. Dayton will be interesting to watch, as the (relatively) new director seems to have an open mind about ETB's. Rumor has it that Dayton RTA is proposing to use economic stimulus dollars for some small extensions, probably routes 3,4, & 7. Dayton's big problem now seems to be deteriorating physical condition of the coaches (many need bodywork, peeling paint etc.) although the infrastructure is still in fairly good shape& much of it recently rebuilt. A few years ago Dayton RTA said they would do a cost-benefit and look at possibly eliminating the trolleys after the Federal interest in them expired, however they started backing away from this when diesel prices went up.
May 12, 200916 yr Gas prices surge 10% Prices at the pump are up 20 cents over the last 14 days but analysts say $4 a gallon is not in the cards. By Ben Rooney, CNNMoney.com staff writer Last Updated: May 12, 2009: 8:03 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- There's plenty of economic pain to go around these days because of the recession. Now there's this: Gas prices have surged nearly 10% over the past two weeks. That's a gain of 20 cents during the past 14 days, and the national average hit $2.248 a gallon on Tuesday, according to a survey by motorist group AAA. Find this article at: http://money.cnn.com/2009/05/11/news/economy/gas_prices/index.htm
May 29, 200916 yr http://www.reuters.com/article/GCA-Oil/idUSTRE54R6A120090528?sp=true Rising oil may test U.S. economy's green shoots Thu May 28, 2009 3:34pm EDT By Emily Kaiser - Analysis WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Swiftly rising oil prices threaten to sap the buying power of U.S. consumers who are essential to ending the longest recession since the Great Depression. Oil has been on a tear in the last five weeks, rising 48 percent since April 21 to hit a 2009 intraday peak above $65 per barrel on Thursday. Part of that reflects hopes that the global economy is inching out of a deep slump, but it may also have something to do with investors seeking an inflation shield as the U.S. dollar weakens and government spending grows. ........ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
May 30, 200916 yr Remember it was the inflation driven by rising oil that kept the Fed from slashing interest rates last spring because they thought inflation was still the bigger economic issue. The relation between general inflation and interest rates is pretty clear, but the ability of interest rates to deal with energy cost inflation seems far more questionable.
June 9, 200916 yr http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/09/news/economy/oil_prices/index.htm $70 oil menaces budding recovery As oil prices rise, some say already weak consumer spending is in danger of taking an even harder hit. By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer Last Updated: June 9, 2009: 5:20 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Two weeks change a lot in the oil markets. At the end of May CNNMoney.com ran a story asking if $60 oil will kill any economic recovery. 'No," most analysts said - consumers could shoulder $60 crude, and analysts didn't see prices going much higher. Now oil is touching $70 a barrel. Goldman Sachs recently said it sees crude at $85 by the year's end. With the economy still on life support, oil is drifting dangerously close to being the wet blanket at the recovery's party. ........ "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 11, 200916 yr http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090610/us_nm/us_gasoline_price;_ylt=Art_9vduRqtfU5FgbTmRJeQS.MwF;_ylu=X3oDMTJuNWloc2c0BGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMDkwNjEwL3VzX2dhc29saW5lX3ByaWNlBHBvcwMzBHNlYwN5bl9wYWdpbmF0ZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA2NvbnN1bWVyc2ZlZQ-- Consumers feel pinch of high gasoline prices By Rebekah Kebede Rebekah Kebede – Wed Jun 10, 5:47 pm ET NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. motorists are again facing summer pain at the pump as rising crude oil prices drive up the cost of gasoline, forcing spending cuts elsewhere and threatening the fragile economic recovery. Average U.S. gasoline prices hit $2.63 a gallon on Wednesday, up about 9 percent since the Memorial Day weekend when the summer driving season kicked off, according to data from the travel and auto group AAA. .......... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 11, 200916 yr We're going to keep seeing fuel prices rise up, remove the least-stable/most-energy dependent sectors of the economy, then see the economy take a hit, recover, see fuel prices rise higher, take out the next least-stable/most energy-dependent sectors of the economy, and so on. I suspect this will keep happening until America's economy becomes much less oil dependent. If it becomes twice as efficient, it will be as efficient as Europe's. If it becomes four times less oil dependent, it will be more like China's. In other words, there are many more of our economy that remain to be stripped away by energy prices and turbulent economic cycles, or perhaps we can do this more smoothly by implementing public policies that encourage energy efficiency. We do have a choice. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 11, 200916 yr "It's putting a hole in my pocket," said Javier Garcia of Bronx, New York, who noted that the cost of driving his sports utility vehicle has jumped in recent months. "Every two days, I've got to spend $30 and that doesn't fill it up," he said. With a newborn baby to care for, Garcia, 43, said gasoline prices are eating into his food budget. Where is this guy going that he absolutely MUST fill up his car every 2 days? "People are still going to drive, but they are going to spend less in other areas," Green said. This is the problem, instead of people giving up the car in order to keep there other spending level, they are giving up everything else just so they can have the "freedom to drive." How much are we going to give up in our daily lives until we realize that there are other solutions besides door to door personal car usage?? Pretty soon people are just going to be driving aimlessly on the roads because they're not going to be able to stop anywhere to spend money.
June 11, 200916 yr I don't think people will ever learn ... until we face a major crisis (widespread shortages, etc.). The news will keep covering the "pain at the pump" year after year after year.
June 22, 200915 yr How they "felt it" 30 years ago. For you youngin's who weren't born yet.... http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/news_details/article/28/2009/june/21/the-day-five-points-became-a-riot-zone-1.html The day Five Points became a riot zone By: GEORGE MATTAR Bucks County Courier Times Click here (http://media.phillyburbs.com/media/newsroom/bcct-intell/photogallery/gas-riots-1979/cti-cni-photo.html) to see a photo gallery looking back on the gas riots of June 1979. Related Article: Could the gas riots happen again? http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times/courier_times_news_details/article/28/2009/june/21/could-gas-situation-happen-again.html Tuesday will mark the 30th anniversary of the nation's first gasoline riots in Levittown. On a hot Saturday afternoon about 5 p.m. June, 23, 1979, Bristol Township police officer Bob Hairhoger was responding to an accident on New Falls Road near Red Cedar Drive. What would transpire a few moments later would grab international headlines, result in hundreds of arrests and nearly 200 police officers battling with protesters because of the second Arab oil embargo, which dried up tanks throughout the country. ......... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
June 25, 200915 yr CNN is running a series of profiles on how gas prices are affecting Americans. This is the cost of the absence of lower-cost transportation alternatives like transit and trains that serve walking neighborhoods mixed with basic services.... __________________ http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/news/0906/gallery.real_people_gas_prices/index.html Gas prices strain struggling households The recent spike in gasoline prices comes at a particularly unfortunate time -- many Americans are still reeling from the economic downturn. Here is how some people have responded to the return of pain at the pump. ............. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
July 15, 200915 yr Summer motoring could drive gas prices down to $2 a gallon Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:14 PM By Dan Gearino THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Gasoline prices peaked early in the summer driving season and now have begun a tumble that may go all the way down to $2 per gallon. This good thing arises from a bad thing: the economic downturn. Families and businesses are driving fewer miles, so the supply of gasoline is outpacing demand. Full story at: http://dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/07/14/gas_prices.html?sid=101
August 12, 200915 yr http://www.nrdc.org/energy/states/ Fighting Oil Addiction Ranking States' Oil Vulnerability and Solutions for Change America's addiction to oil continues to threaten not only our national security and global environmental health, but also our economic viability. NRDC analyzed how heavily drivers in each state are affected by increases in oil prices and ranked states on their adoption of solutions to reduce their oil dependence -- measures they are taking to lessen their vulnerability and to bolster America's security. NRDC found that rising gas prices, combined with the economic downturn, are making people more vulnerable to changes in oil prices. But many states are taking significant steps to reduce oil dependence through smart clean-transportation policies. Our analysis shows that: + Oil dependence affects all states, but some drivers are hit harder economically than others. + The trends in states' vulnerability to oil price increases over the past couple of years are not encouraging -- drivers in every state were more vulnerable in 2008 than they were in 2006. + While some states are pioneering solutions and many are taking some action, a fair number of states are still taking few (if any) of the steps needed to reduce their oil dependence. By promoting clean vehicle and fuel technologies as well as transportation alternatives, states can reduce oil dependence. These measures can, in turn, create clean energy jobs, reduce vulnerability to fuel price hikes, and lessen air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Oil Vulnerability Rankings by State 2008 #26 Ohio 5.50% $1951.67 See http://www.nrdc.org/energy/states/ for a ranking of all the states. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
August 25, 200915 yr Ohioans spend 5.5% of their income on gasoline: http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/08/12/states.oil.price.vulnerability/index.html#cnnSTCOther1 Study ranks states' vulnerability to oil prices http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/08/12/states.oil.price.vulnerability/index.html By Shelby Lin Erdman CNN Decrease font Decrease font Enlarge font Enlarge font (CNN) -- Americans are still far too dependent on foreign oil, and states aren't doing enough to change that, according to a study by an environmental group ranking states on an "oil vulnerability" scale. The annual index compiled by the Natural Resources Defense Council measures the effect of oil and gas price increases on people's incomes. The survey also ranks the states that are doing the most to promote alternative energy sources...
November 15, 200915 yr Interesting calculations on the current price of gasoline and what it costs to drive a car... Sunday's Numbers: The price of driving at today's price of gas By Rich Exner, The Plain Dealer November 15, 2009, 8:00AM $2.58: The average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the Cleveland area on Monday, (Nov. 9, 2009), according to the weekly survey conducted by the U.S. Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration. This is about 8 cents per gallon lower than the national average. Full story and calculator at: http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2009/11/sundays_numbers_the_price_of_d.html
November 27, 200915 yr Shell says oil demand will recover in second half of next year Eduard Gismatullin and Stephen Cunningham, Bloomberg Published: Thursday, November 26, 2009 Royal Dutch Shell Plc, Europe's biggest oil company, expects global crude demand to pick up in the second half of 2010, after declining the most since 1980 this year, according to Chief Executive Officer Peter Voser. Demand will fall by about 2 million barrels a day this year as the recession curbs energy use, Voser said in an interview posted on the company's Web site today. Consumption of natural gas in Europe will drop by about 5 percent this year, after 30 years of continuous growth, he said. .... Shell, based in The Hague, is "much more gas-price driven than oil-price driven," Voser said. Even so, the company will be "a robust organization" in 2010, he said. "We are convinced of our future cash-flow growth potential." Read more: http://www.financialpost.com/news-sectors/energy/story.html?id=2269569#ixzz0Y5S1x2P1 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
March 1, 201015 yr Gas prices drive up foreclosures APR/ Markletplace There are many reasons why families face foreclosure, like loss of income or rising health care costs. But several new studies show there's another factor closely linked with foreclosure rates: gas prices. Andrea Bernstein reports. Listen to the story at: http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/02/25/pm-commuter-foreclosures/#
April 14, 201015 yr Does the Columbus Dispatch not recall that we already reached $4/gallon gasoline in July 2008? They treat this like it was some new revelation that people's driving habits will change. They DID change.... but what hasn't changed in two years is the lack of or still minimal funding for rail & transit. I don't "love to drive".....I have no choice! Gas at $4 or $5 could drive local commuters to try alternatives Wednesday, April 14, 2010 2:51 AM By Mark Ferenchik THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Central Ohio residents love to drive, even when they could walk. But if gas prices rise to $4 or $5 a gallon, some of these drivers might change their behavior. And drivers say they want more transportation options, whether it's more bikeways or better public transit. These are some of the findings of an online, unscientific survey conducted by the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission. The agency asked people in Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Knox, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway, Ross and Union counties for their opinions on issues of transportation, land use, economic development, the environment and energy. Full story at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/04/14/gas-at-4-or-5-could-drive-local-commuters-to-try-alternatives.html?sid=101
April 21, 201015 yr Yeah, you know how people were saying we'd drive less and et. al.? U.S. demand for gasoline sets all-time record for March, trend expected to continue throughout summer By Eric Loveday, Autoblog, April 19, 2010 Apparently the slew of hybrids and a handful of electric vehicles on the roads here have had little, if any, impact on gasoline consumption. The numbers for March show that we are more thirsty for the stuff than ever. According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), our refineries produced more than 9.3 million barrels of gas per day in March, more than any other single month in U.S. history. Of those 9.3 million barrels, 9.2 million were delivered (maybe the rest got lost somewhere). This number of delivered barrels is a record for any March on the books and just shy of the highest record of barrels delivered, 9.6 million per day, set back in July of 2007. API chief economist John Felmy spoke about the record-breaking month noting that it's:
May 27, 201015 yr Shaky economy still keeping Americans off the road Updated 2d 15h ago By Mark Williams, AP Energy Writer for USA Today Although gasoline prices are dropping ahead of the Memorial Day weekend and the start of the summer driving season, there's no sign motorists are rushing back to the pump. Data released Monday by the Federal Highway Administration show the number of miles driven on U.S. roads increased in March compared with February, but was still below March 2009, when the recession was still at its worst. Full story at: http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/2010-05-24-drivinghabits_N.htm
December 6, 201014 yr Okay....here we go on the roller-coaster ride at the gasoline pumps again.... BTW: $3.09 at a Speedway station at I-71 & Weber Road in Columbus this morning... Motorists could see $3 gas at pumps by Christmas By the CNN Wire StaffDecember 5, 2010 8:56 p.m. EST (CNN) -- Barring a steep drop in crude prices, U.S. motorists can expect to see gas prices exceeding $3 per gallon, if they are not seeing such prices already, according to a new survey of filling stations. The latest Lundberg Survey of cities in the continental United States was conducted Friday. It showed the national average price for a gallon of self-serve unleaded gasoline at $2.91, an increase of 3.9 cents from the last survey two weeks earlier, survey publisher Trilby Lundberg said. "It is once again crude oil at work," Lundberg said. A resurgence in crude prices resulted in the price per barrel increasing nearly $8 per barrel. At $89 per barrel, crude is at a 25-month high.Full story at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/12/05/gas.prices/index.html?hpt=T2
December 10, 201014 yr Gas prices on track for unseasonable spike By Gary Strauss, USA TODAY Motorists, brace yourselves for a lump of coal this holiday season: higher-priced gasoline. Nationwide, a gallon of regular unleaded gas averaged $2.977 on Friday and more than $3 a gallon in 20 states. That's up nearly 10 cents the past week and 34 cents higher than December 2009, AAA spokesman Troy Green says. Benchmark crude oil opens today at $88.37 a barrel. If crude crosses $90 for the first time since 2008 and continues to rise, as many industry experts forecast, the average price of regular unleaded could hit $3.15 or higher by year's end Full story at: http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/2010-12-10-1Agasprices10_ST_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
December 20, 201014 yr http://www.policymattersohio.org/pdf/EIADataPR2010_1220.pdf For Immediate Release, December 20, 2010 Contact: Amanda Woodrum, 216-361-9801 [email protected] Link to EIA data: http://www.eia.doe.gov/states/_seds_updates.html Ohioans spent $11.7 billion on motor gasoline in 2009, ranks 6th in nation, according to new EIA data According to state level data released late Friday, by the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Ohio used almost 118 million barrels of oil in 2009, at a cost to Ohioans of $11.7 billion dollars. Since 98% of Ohio’s oil is imported from out of state, that means $11.5 billion left the state's economy to import the polluting fossil fuel. Plus, gas prices have risen 18% since this time last year. “The billions we spend to import motor gas every year could be put to better use” said energy researcher Amanda Woodrum. “Eleven and a half billion dollars is enough to build the 3-C passenger rail corridor from Cleveland to Columbus to Cincinnati, cover its operating costs for 100 years, and shore up the $8 billion hole in the state’s budget.” Ohio needs a strategy to make our transportation sector more energy independent. Building a complete network of alternative transportation—rail, hybrid buses, streetcars, and bikable, walkable communities—would put many Ohioans to work. According to the Surface Transportation Policy Project, investments in public transportation create nearly 20 percent more jobs than equivalent investments in new road and bridge projects. These are good paying jobs—work for rail-track layers, electricians, dispatchers, and bus drivers. According to the EIA data, Ohio ranks 6th in the nation for the amount of motor gasoline it consumes. Woodrum added “We can’t afford to keep giving billions of our hard-earned dollars to oil companies every year. Instead we should modernize our transportation sector, make it more energy independent, equitable, and sustainable, and put Ohioans to work doing it.” ### "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 21, 201014 yr And get ready for more of your dollars to get siphoned from your wallet... Gas prices in some areas reaching over $3 Staff report Updated 1:06 PM Monday, December 20, 2010 DAYTON — Some area motorists are seeing retail gasoline prices as high as $3.05 a gallon, according to gasoline price watchdog DaytonGasPrices.com. That price could be found in various cities in the counties of Montgomery, Miami and Greene as of 11 a.m. Monday. The last time the Dayton-area saw gas prices over $3 was Oct. 8, 2008, according to Patrick DeHaan, Senior Petroleum analyst, of GasBuddy.com, the gasoline price watchdog that oversees DaytonGasPrices.com. Read more at: http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/dayton-news/gas-prices-in-some-areas-reaching-over-3-1034324.html
December 21, 201014 yr Average price of gasoline heading toward $3 for Christmas and $4 in the spring Published: Monday, December 20, 2010, 9:24 PM Updated: Monday, December 20, 2010, 9:42 PM By John Funk, The Plain Dealer If you think $3 gasoline for Christmas is an outrageous humbug, just wait until the Grinch gets here this spring. You could see average prices at the corner station approaching $4 per gallon by early May. And if you're driving toward New York or New England, or the far Northwest, average prices might be even more. The bad news is courtesy of Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service. The company supplies the daily Internet fuel gauge report to the AAA and tracks a broader range of prices for private clients. READ MORE AT: http://www.cleveland.com/business/index.ssf/2010/12/average_price_of_gasoline_head.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 21, 201014 yr How long until people are no longer "shocked" and "outraged" at fuel prices over $3 a gallon? At this rate people are going to be committing mass suicide at $5 a gallon. The increase in price does, however, make me glad that my wife and I share a car and only drive it about 25 miles a day. It makes me a little sad when I think about my frequent 400 mile round trip weekends in the summer...
December 21, 201014 yr U.S. Gas Consumption Could Drop 20% in 20 Years Kicking Tires, cars.com, December 21, 2010 A storm of factors, from a decline in demand to more fuel-efficient vehicles, will lead to a long-term decline in U.S. gas demand, according to a recent report from The Associated Press. By 2030, gasoline use in the U.S. will drop “at least 20%” from where it is today, experts say. We’ve already seen an 8% drop in gasoline demand since it peaked in 2006. The more severe decline will be attributed to higher fuel efficiency in new cars mandated by the government as well as electric vehicles and alternative-fuel vehicles that burn ethanol and biofuels. The government will mandate an increase in ethanol and biofuel use to 36 billion gallons by 2022, versus 14 billion gallons in 2011.
December 24, 201014 yr Higher U.S. Airfares Loom as Oil Climbs Toward $100 By Mary Schlangenstein and Mary Jane Credeur - Dec 22, 2010 4:37 PM ET Delta Air Lines Inc., American Airlines and other large U.S. carriers may be poised to boost fares with fuel surcharges as crude oil moves closer to $100 a barrel. “Every dollar that fuel rises erodes their earnings,” said Jim Corridore, a Standard & Poor’s equity analyst in New York. “It’s not good news to see fuel prices back up. Once we start approaching $100 a barrel, you’ll start to see fuel surcharges come back.” Crude settled at a 2-year high today of $90.48 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, underscoring the pressure on an industry whose two largest costs are jet fuel and labor. The price will top $100 by 2011’s second half, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. forecast in a report this month. READ MORE AT: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-22/higher-u-s-airfares-loom-as-crude-climbs-toward-100-a-barrel.html "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
December 27, 201014 yr Ex-CEO of Shell Oil Predicts $5/gallon gasoline by 2012 By Laurie Segall, staff reporter December 27, 2010: 4:51 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The former president of Shell Oil, John Hofmeister, says Americans could be paying $5 for a gallon of gasoline by 2012. In an interview with Platt's Energy Week television, Hofmeister predicted gasoline prices will spike as the global demand for oil increases. Full story at: http://money.cnn.com/2010/12/27/markets/oil_commodities/index.htm
December 28, 201014 yr Soaring price at pump stings holiday travelers Tuesday, December 28, 2010 02:51 AM By Dan Gearino THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Gasoline prices have climbed to a decidedly non-festive $3 per gallon, a level not reached in more than two years. The timing couldn't be much worse for the many families that are traveling during the holidays and have little choice but to pay the higher prices. "They know when to stick it to us," said Anne Montooth of the East Side as she pumped gas for her Toyota Highlander. "I feel sorry for the people who have limited funds." Full story at: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2010/12/28/soaring-price-at-pump-stings-holiday-travelers.html?sid=101
December 28, 201014 yr The Deepwater Horizon tragedy has demonstrated the limits of off-shore drilling, global economies demand more energy, the atmosphere is being destroyed, and our troops are still fighting and dying to secure the Middle East. So what do the unelected idiots at the Ohio Turnpike do? Raise the speed limit to 70 mph and drive more demand for gasoline. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/12/ohio_turnpike_speed_limit_woul.html
December 28, 201014 yr Yeah... even my dad, who drives long-haul truck, thinks raising the speed limit on the turnpike was stupid. Most trucks have governors on the engines that keep them no higher than 68 mph, some even slower. And those paying for their own diesel will drive the speed that gets them the best fuel efficiency, which he says is around 55-60.
December 29, 201014 yr The Deepwater Horizon tragedy was a bitter learning opportunity but is not going to change the economics of the energy sector materially over the short or long term. As you said, global economies (including our own) will continue to demand increasing volumes of energy, and until we come up with a viable substitute for petroleum, we will continue to get it where we can. (Also, while the Deepwater Horizon was a single ugly incident, the environmental damage from drilling in other parts of the world on an average annual basis is worse--Nigerian environmental standards are recklessly lax, and I say that as someone who's a perennial critic of America's environmental movement.) As to how I'm feeling the increased gas prices: It may limit my involvement in my gaming group up in Euclid (driving from Akron), but mostly how it will affect me is indirectly, through increased prices of goods that have to travel any significant distance to get to Akron. I walk to work, which makes my budget much less sensitive to gas prices (because non-commuting driving for most Americans is much more discretionary and elastic than their commute, and I'm no exception). Even at $3 or even $5 a gallon, I'll be able to indulge in the occasional trip to Columbus or Cleveland. I've never felt the urge to take long road trips. Therefore, higher gas prices primarily affect stuff coming to me rather than me going to stuff.
December 29, 201014 yr Shell's Hofmeister predicts only to 2012, as are others attempting to forecast oil demand vs. supply. But the Pentagon's predictions, released earlier this year, suggest the tight oil market by the end of 2012 is just the beginning. Their forecast to 2015 is downright scary, with global shortages 10 percent below demand. Compare that to 1973 when shortages were 5 percent below demand. Ask someone old enough to remember what 1973 was like. I have some memories of it (long gas lines, rationing etc).... "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
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