Somebody’s going to have to take the blame for the nearly 40% jump in gas prices since the end of January – and according to The Washington Post, if the Democrats have their say, the blame is going to be shared between Big Oil and the Bush administration.
(First off, let me start off by saying I associate myself with neither the Republican nor Democratic parties. I’m about as moderate as you can get.)
It looks like Big Oil will bear the brunt of the wrath, thanks in no small part to their record billion dollar profits in face of rising energy costs. Some people, including Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, believe that these record profits are a product of an easily manipulated energy market.
In the article Reid goes on to say, “Isn’t it interesting every year about this time, a refinery goes down for repairs? Is that coincidental? Or is it part of a plan that these multinational, huge companies who are making obscene profits in the tens of billions of dollars – is this part of their plan to keep the profits going?”
Despite several attempts, I was unable to find any information that either supported or contradicted Reid’s claims that refinery problems have become an annual event. While I think there is some merit to this idea, I have a feeling that Reid is reaching a bit on this one.
I don’t think that the problem lies in Big Oil purposefully shutting down refineries, rather the problem probably lies in the fact that new refineries aren’t being built. It doesn’t take a degree in mechanical engineering to realize that the older these refineries get, the more problems they’re going to have.
After years of consistently heavy use, many of these refineries are simply doing what they were made to do – break down.
I think Reid’s point would have been more powerful (a less conspiracy theory-ish) had he stated that it was Big Oil’s responsibilities to put some of the hundreds of billions of dollars in profits into renovating existing refineries and building newer ones.
Because our political system is so partisan, much of the blame was also placed upon the Bush administration.
According to The Post’s article, Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, stated, “drivers are paying a heavy price for the Bush administration’s failure to enact a comprehensive energy strategy. Years of Bush administration policies that have favored Big Oil over the consumers have resulted in record dependence on foreign oil.”
While I agree with Pelosi that there should have been a greater emphasis placed on reducing our dependence on foreign oil, I think Pelosi is misplacing her blame. The problem isn’t the Bush administration’s failure to enact an energy strategy; it’s the American public’s lust for oil and cheap energy that’s to blame.
If you’re looking for someone to blame for our record high gas prices, all you really have to do is take a good hard look in the mirror and you’ll find your culprit.
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Wonderful article and great site. I agree much of the blame should be put on the American public and their “lust for oil and cheap energy”. However, let’s not forget that much of this administration is coming right out of “Big Oil”.
Also, I think it’s a great point to talk about those billion dollar profits. More needs to be done. Maybe if they did do something with those profits rather than line their pockets and lobby in Washington, we wouldn’t be looking at this huge problem. Maybe.
I have been able to reduce my gasoline usage by 75%. So I am doing my part in helping the environment and using an alternative fuel that reduces our dependence on foreign oil. I purchased a car that is bi-fuel. It runs on unleaded gasoline and CNG (compressed natural gas). In the state of Oklahoma where I live CNG cost $.94 / gallon equivalent. 94 cents agallon is less than a third of the cost of gasoline. CNG vehicles are much cleaner to operate, they require fewer oil changes, and the engines last twice as long. Refueling stations are to to found in major cities.
Brian – thanks for the comment and kind words. I agree with you in regards to the profits. I don’t understand how these companies’ profit margins are GOING UP in the face of rising crude prices. To me, that suggests that Big Oil is passing on more than just the increased cost to them.
Dave – thanks for the comment, and congrats on reducing your gas consumption! You bring up an interesting point regarding refueling stations; I think this is going to be the biggest problem for new alternative fuels as there’s currently little to no infrastructure for fuels other than gasoline.
All the the tree huggers stopped the gas companies from building refineries in the US for the last 30 or so years. The gas companies were ok with that due to the supply and demand factor that they knew would make them big profits. Then the tree huggers decided that necular waste was not worth building nucular power plants. So we had to stop that. Now we face rolling power blackouts here in CA. Lately, the tree huggers have decide that power plants are ok since they don’t add to the global warming problem. I am all for the enviorment and I understand the need to be cautious but the rest of the developeing world are building power plants and we nned to do the same to keep up with the demand for power we have in America. The same people that complain about high gas prices are first to say that we can’t drill offshore or in Alaska. Eventually, we will be forced to drill for the all of the worlds oil and if we keep this up, we will be paying top dollar all the way down that line.
The problem isn’t the Bush administration’s failure to enact an energy strategy; it’s the American public’s lust for oil and cheap energy that’s to blame.
Ummmm… no.
In addition to the Bush administration’s cozy-cozy relationship with their oil company lords and masters, you can also blame conservative refusal to support and fund public transit.
All the the tree hugg–
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
If you’re looking for someone to blame for our record high gas prices, all you really have to do is take a good hard look in the mirror and you’ll find your culprit.
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Great article but I have to largely disagree with this. Your right and your also wrong. You would be right if there was a viable alternative to Gas Powered cars that average joe like me can afford (I can not afford 1/5th of a Telsa EV for example.
IE you would be right if we had a viable alternative and we simply CHOSE not to take it.
We do not have any other choice. There is no alternative to the gas powered car. I do not count hybrids as they are a rip off. My $1200 1976 diesel gets almost as many MPG as a Prius !! and NO battery!
The Electric car is the only viable alternative and the auto companies REFUSE to make and sell them to us. They tried once and promptly DESTROYED and buried including taking the ones on the road off and crushing them. Why ? when they realized they were SOO good and SO maintenance free and long lasting that they would hurt there massive profits.
So tell me how is NOT wanting to buy more gas but not having a choice my fault ? they add 10% ethanol into my fuel WITHOUT my consent decreasing my effeciency by 14.5 percent (which means I buy MORE gas) also increasing the cost of gas AND increasing the of feed grain and food since now the corn is more valuable as a fuel alternative.
Tell me what I see in the mirror. I WANT an EV but I do not have the $20grand it would take to make a practical one off ev.
I would be as happy as a pig in you know what with a $10k 120mile range EV with a cheap battery pack (The $4500 price tag of the Ev1 battery that lasts 100-150k miles is QUITE acceptable to me)
120miles would cover 90% of all my travels in a year 99.9% if places starting providing outlets in parking spaces.
What about making the EV’s into wagons so for longer trips I can add a second battery pack for a 240mile range.
The technology is already matured and over 10 years old. We already have it. They simply outright REFUSE to build it.
WHAT am I supposed to do about that.? I am doing my part. I drive an older diesel that gets 30+mpg all the time. I am reusing instead of buying new. I am buying less gas. I carpool when possible. (I work 54 miles from home 1.5 hour drive)
I ride my bike when possible (plus I need to lose weight)
I converted all my lighting to LED so I use a FRACTION of the amount of power I did before (my room lighting went from 640 watts to under 40 watts and its BRIGHTER now) and I will NEVER have to replace these bulbs in my life time and likely not in my kids lifetimes.
I am even considering playing with biodiesel. I am working on replacing the engine in my van with a diesel engine so I can get 25mpg instead of 12-13mpg
What more can I do ? I am sorry I just do not have $70,000 to buy an EV (cheapest practical EV and its not even out yet) the next cheapest is $92,000.
That more money than I have made in the last 6 years !!!
So how is this my fault ?
One thing I did come up with that we can do (will never happen off course) we can STOP buying new cars all together.
Walk into a dealership and inquire about there pure EV models. When they say what EV models or we have none Say ok no thanks I am going to the used car dealership let me know when you have an EV model.
if a significant portion of the population did that we would have an affordable EV inside of a year or two. GM already has everythign worked out. They could have EV’s on the road next year for under 20k a pop and probably under 15k.
But how do you get that many people (I figure at least 20% of the CARY BUYING population would have to do this) to do something like this?
Here’s the deal: When ordinary business face rising costs of raw materials, their profits fall. Big Oil’s profits, however, are now records. It’s monopoly/oligopoly power to control markets where demand elasticiy is steep – in the short run we have to pay more because we cannot change our oil consumption patterns in the short run.
But over the long term, rising prices are great news – I just wish the government had taxed the heck out of it years ago (it would have helped balance the budget – or at least given Congress more real money to spend). Alternative sources of energy are now becoming viable and competitive.
BigOil is just plain bad – bad for the economy, bad for the environments, bad for dependence on corrupt regimes, bad for our politics – it gave us Bush/Cheney. BigOil combustion is the principal cause of greenhouse gases and global warming.
I blame Clinton too – the merger of Exxon and Mobil happened on his watch.
Eventually we will move to cleaner, renewable, and more local sources of energy – solar, wind, corn. BigOil is writting it’s demise. I used to fill up my tank for $19. I paid $67 this morning. People are making changes and once they do, their old patterns of consumption will be history.
uh .. the main culprit is probably China and its exponentially growing deman
I’m looking in the mirror and have no idea how i’m to blame for high gas prices…. am i supposed to ride my bike 20 miles to work?
I can’t get a loan big enough to by a hybrid vehicle.
I already freeze all winter long because i refuse to turn the heat up…. because i can’t afford it….
Tell me please, what i can do… and I will do it!!
BUT in order for these people to change they have to have SOMETHING to change TO!
Solar is currently way to expensive for anyone except business to consider enmass. Wind is also prohibitively expensive for your average joe and not as consistant (you really need solar wind together) Corn is a complete dead end. there is not enough aerable land on earth to manage it effectively and it will ruin our FOOD economy by increasing famine by making food more expensive.
What we need is EV cars. They solve so many prolems (hence why they are not on the road today) first using E to run a car is at least 6 times more effecient. this means EVEN if you use a polluting power plant to get your EV juice your producing 1/6th the pollution if not less.
Second EV means its possible for the AVERAGE joe to supliment his power. Adding enough PV or WIND “just” to charge your car would go quite a ways to cleaning things up.
Having cars that last SO much longer would solve another problem. People may eventually learn to get attached to ONE car and keep it for life. Manufacturer’s could convert from making new models every year to make new SHELLS to upgrade our “lifetime cars” every now and then.
Hydrogen is a dead end (though I agree its an ideal solution in utopia but not on earth) you see Hydrogen once we can more efficiently produce it and store it could answer a lot of problems except for one problem. Its the same as EV the benifits come when the average joe can make and store his OWN Hydrogen with power via solar/wind/hydro
Do you really think they will permit this and not regulate storage and production OUT of the hands of average joe so they can continue to “sell us from the pump” ??
Its much harder to prevent us from making Electricity and its much more OBVIOUS what there intentions are if they TRY.
In essence the author is right the problem is OURS but its a problem created by THEM not US (them being government and corporations US being average joe citizen)
It is now to the point where average joe is utterly powerless. To make a change would require either a paradyn shift in gov/corp levels or a MASS revolt of the people (yeah right)
I really wish I knew of another solution. I really wish I did. In the end it all comes down to money. If it costs more than what we have it will fail. not because what we have is better or that we are stingy but because we simply can not afford it even if we want it desperately.
Our society is currently rigged so that we are “largely” uneducated and uncaring and possibly as much as 80% of the average citizenship lives from paycheck to paycheck.
So unless it SAVES us money and I mean NOW not in 15 years its just not going to happen for the simple fact that the average person simply CAN NOT afford it no matter how badly they may want it or believe in it.
I think the 2 most important technologies we need to work on is affordable EV cars and Affordable effective LED lighting. Both of these are catalyst technologies and both are critical and apply to every single person in the country. LED Lighting is almost there. EV is impossible without manufacturer support and they definitely have NO interest in EV at all they do not even want to HINT at “ev” hence why the prius for the US has no EV mode at all. It scares the crap out of them
Another potential MASSIVE influx type technology that could radically shift the technology powers of the world is the SUPER Capacitor. Thats IF it exists IF its as cheap as claimed and IF its as GOOD as claimed and IF they get it to market without getting bought buried or regulated out of existance (assuming its not just vaporware)
The Supercapacitor changed EVERYTHING and will rattle EVERY SINGLE cage from duracell to generam motors to the very government itself. It will return POWER to the citizens by giving them quite literally “power” (as in electricity)
All of a sudden SOLAR WIND Hydro and all kinds of other things suddenly become SO much more practical affordable and LONG LASTING. Imagine batteries from hearing aid batteries to Whole House batteries that are 1/4th the cost 5 times more capacity and infinitely rechargeable with no “wearing out” and need for replacement every few years. Recharging in seconds to the minute. a $1200 car battery pack with a 300mile range that can be recharged in less time than it takes you to go into the “fueling station” bathroom and do your business and for a infinitesimal fraction of the cost. How about the equivalent of a $3-$5 “fill up”
Supercaps would also eliminate the LOAD issue on the power grid. a fueling station could draw a FIXED steady amount of wattage from the grid 24 hours a day (or lower during peak higher during non peak) store this energy BUILD it up in massive super cap arrays (like underground fuel tanks but for electricity) and use that to “juice up cars” so the LOAD is taken locally not by the grid. add some PV and Turbines and a fueling station may not even need a grid connection at all !!!
Imagine Stationary bikes in all households and when you want some excercise you use one of these and that power goes into your house supercap. Not a lot of power but the system is so effecient that it “adds up” over time. a months cycling will keep you fit and might provide enough power for a “days” household usage.
Combine this with LED lighting that never wears out of goes bad (at least not in your lifetime)
The benefits are endless. We just have to HOPE they are REAL and HOPE they can get them to market. IF they can manage to get them to market into enough hands to give people a taste there will be no stopping it !!
The problem again assuming its real and not vapor is that SOOO many industries from power co’s, big oil, auto makers, parts shops, Duracell, Energizer etc.. etc.. have a HIGHLY vested interest in making sure this technology NEVER see’s the light of day for it will fundimentally alter the power landscape as we know it. It will potentially overnight change us from a disposable society (power wise) to a you buy a battery for the device once and NEVER again and it NEVER wears out and recharge your cell phone in 15 seconds and get 5 times the run time as you get today etc… etc…
How about “cycling” for an hour to charge a car sized battery producing enough power to run your cell phone for a month!!
all this adds up to massive power demand reductions massive shifts in the very fabric or our power economy.
Our most MASSIVE limiting factor today is not making power its STORING IT and MOVING it around.
Many Many MANY industries depend there very existence on these limitations.
Think about it. PRAY its real. PRAY it makes it to market.
The whole “new refineries not being built” is a canard promoted by the oil industry and promoted by Big media and paid off politicians. The oil companies have made no efforts to build new refineries, could have if they wanted to, and in fact have shut down refineries. i used to work at one of the largest oil companies and we laughed every time we heard the refinery excuse.
Yeah, and even diesel cars are getting downright impossible to find now that people are catching on. I live in Bellevue, WA and at the Shell up the street, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.59 today. My little 4-cylinder golf needs premium, so I’m looking at $3.79 a gallon! Meanwhile the price of diesel is $3.19. At those rates I’d be thrilled to own a diesel car, but unfortunately VW (one of the only producers of affordable diesel cars in the US) has NO plans to import any more new diesel-powered vehicles until late 2008. Used diesel cars are so overpriced in the greater Seattle area that I can’t justify going that way either. So, folks like us end up between a rock and a hard place. And, despite the fact that my current vehicle gets excellent gas mileage (between 28-30 MPG), I’m still getting the shaft thanks to the increased demand for fuel caused by the legions of gas-guzzling trucks and SUVs in this country. My only consolation at this point is that those people are paying 2-3 times what I’m paying for each fill up.
Dear Brian,
You are a moron. It’s not a “conspiracy theory” that Big Oil (with the aid of our government) is raping the American people. WE THE PEOPLE are not “to blame” regarding these issues at all. Saying it’s our “lust for oil” is about as ignorant of a statement that can be uttered on this topic. Do yourself a favor and watch “Who Killed the Electric Car?”… Big Oil and the military-industrial complex (see: fascism) own and control our system of government because these two conglomerates were setup by the true masters of America – the Federal Reserve. And while we’re on the topic, gain some perspective and watch “America: Freedom to Fascism”…
Wow, up to the last statement, this article was good.
Nice cliche. “If you’re looking for someone to blame for our record high gas prices, all you really have to do is take a good hard look in the mirror and you’ll find your culprit.”
It’s our fault for having to commute, I’m sure everyone plans their jobs to be 20 miles away from home.
Yeah it’s our fault for not being able to afford hybrids that are $7k more expensive than ordinary cars.
It’s my fault for reading this crap.
Unless you don’t use any gas at all, you’re a hypocrite. This “article” defeats itself with its lack of relevant sources and insight.
What point have you made?
Remy,
Yes, it is your fault for having to commute. Last time I checked, in America we are able to choose where we live. If you choose you live 20 miles away from your job so be it, but then you shouldn’t complain when it suddenly costs more to take that drive.
You don’t have to drive a hybrid to get great gas mileage. Take the Toyota Yaris for example – it’s a regular compact car that costs about 13k and gets between 35 and 40 mpg.
Lastly, I’m fairly certain that The Washington Post constitutes a pretty credible resource.
Dear JL,
Let me explain some simple supply and demand economics to you:
When the demand for a product goes up (look at the exponential rise in China and India’s demand for oil, not to mention the fact that the demand in America is at an all-time high), while the supply of that product goes down (we’re not making any more oil, every barrel we pump out of the ground is one less barrel we have left) the price of that product will increase.
Because only “WE THE PEOPLE” control the demand for oil, and in turn it’s supply, “WE THE PEOPLE” are to blame for its increased costs.
I’ve actually watched “Who Killed the Electric Car?” and if you dig around this site you’ll find a review of it. I agree, that these major oil corporations (and all major corporations for that matter) are tied too closely with our federal government. However, that doesn’t mean that all of the blame needs to be placed at their feet.
Carr,
I think your supply and demand theory is a good one, and one that I’ve heard repeated elsewhere. But it is not really addressing the crux of the problem. It’s true, as Americans, I think we should all know how supply and demand works by now. What we need to do now is acknowledge the big picture.
The real question is this: Why is it that the price of gasoline is SUDDENLY so much higher? And, why is it that in the past four years or so, when gas prices go up, they rarely (if ever) go back down to pre-increase levels? It hasn’t always been that way. This is a recent phenomenon.
Here’s my theory: The oil companies have made a conscious decision to raise prices in a phased, but still relatively fast way because consumers are not in a position to do anything about the increases in the short term. Millions of us live far from work and or drive (leased) gas-guzzlers that can’t be gotten rid of quickly. These are decisions that a large number of Americans made when fuel was still relatively inexpensive.
The oil companies have done their homework. They know that they are able to raise fuel prices because of this kind of inflexibility in our market over the short term. It is their new profit model.
Ironically, in the long run this could actually benefit Americans because if prices stay high or rise consistently enough, people will finally adapt in sustainable ways that will ultimately be better for the environment.
I just wish that the government would have done it first with tax hikes. That way at least, the American people would have benefited from price increases instead of giving that extra revenue to the oil companies. The government could have used the money to dig us out of oil dependency by expanding/modernizing public transit systems.
Now we will have to pay twice. Once through big-oil induced gas price hikes that will shock us out of our bad driving habits and again when we wake up and realize that that we need to pay for adequate public transit, which many Americans have little or no access to.
Gas prices are market driven. Oil companies don’t scheme to rip people off. They are running a business. Most businesses I know of want to maximize profits.
As far as the timing of refinery outages goes, the reason is pretty simple. Refineries supply gasoline. Gasoline demand is higher in summer than in winter. So, do you want to shut down the refineries in the summer? All that would do is reduce supply and in turn, increase demand and price. No, you shut them down in the fall-winter months when demand is low.
Other unplanned outages happen. We’re talking about machines here. They fail. A remarkable amount of time and money goes into preventing their failure, but occasionally it happens.
The issues surrounding the construction of new refineries isn’t just “Big Oil” not wanting to put their earnings back into their business. Just take a look at how many regulatory hoops you have to jump through just to cook up an office building or gas station. Now, try to imagine scaling that up to something as large as a refinery. Sprinkle on a generous amount of environmental, cultural, etc. requirements and you end up with a cake that no one wants to bother baking.
Steve:
Yes, let’s all blame the treehuggers. It isn’t as though they are the reason your food is safe to eat, your water is safe to drink, and your air is safe to breathe. The solution ISN’T continuing to drill for more oil, the solution is FINDING A BETTER ENERGY SOURCE. In case you didn’t get the memo, the world’s oil supply (at current use rates) will run out in less than 50 years. In addition, current use rates are expected to SIGNIFICANTLY increase. All this and people STILL say, “oh, well, lets wait until all the oil runs out, THEN we can figure out something new”. Bloody brilliant.
I also agree with Chris Taylor. I would love to own an electrically powered car, but at this point it is not affordable. What we need (but will not happen due to Bush’s ties with Big Oil) is a government-subsidized means of purchasing electric conversion kits, creating an incentive to be more energy efficient and reducing our dependency on foreign (and indeed domestic!) oil. By the way, gasoline isn’t the only thing we make out of oil. That keyboard you’re typing on that is no doubt made of plastic? Part of it is oil. Your tupperware containers, telephones, computer monitors, computer cases, your kids’ toys, your switchplate covers, and that plastic picnicware you take to the park every now and then? All partially made of oil. Let’s get rid of this problem at the source, not just reduce it.
Telling us to “look in the mirror” is both a true and false statement. True in the fact that we are addicted to oil but the question to ask is how did we get that way. Can you blame a baby for being addicted to crack because its mother was an addict? Before most of us were born, this addiction was being created.
The federal highway system made it easy to get from one place to another via an automobile. Europe’s roads (in general) pale in comparison to the depth and quality of American roads. A great road system made it easy for Americans to move to the suburbs and commute via an Automobile. Maybe if the suburbs became popular without the roads, we would have created a mass-transit system that would have rivaled those of Europe or Asia. BTW, know who helped fund the building of the highways – Big Oil.
There is a lot of blame to be passed out, but I think the least amount should be pointed at the average consumer. Moving forward, I think people are much more educated and will make better decisions. The point was made earlier that people are just living from paycheck to paycheck and tend to be sheep. They also tend to listen to what their leaders are telling them. I do not think I have heard the president ever mention that we need to cut back on our driving to conserve oil and bring the prices back down. All I have heard is that we are addicted to “foreign” oil and need alternatives like ethenol (more polluting than oil, by the way). Clean energy is the only way to go and unless big money gets behind it, it will never happen.
Remember the Windfall Profits Tax? It was implemented poorly, but the concept was on the money: we need to tax the oil companies that are getting rich exploiting our natural resources (and us). A straight-up tax on their reported quarterly profits is all it should be. One number, 4 payments a year. Zero adminstrative costs for the IRS. Anybody who buys gas would support this tax — I figure that a politician who campaigned on this could get elected without any other support.
On the demand side, I have to wonder how much fuel we’re wasting in Iraq.
Oil companies continue to propose plans for oild refineries they know will get shot down by the greener members of congress. There have been only two proposals since the 70s for new refineries. One under Carter and another while Clinton was in office. Both shot down. The oil companies know how to work the system and left-leaning policy makers play right into their hand everytime.
Anyone have a good reason for not drilling ANWR? Seems silly that we cant agree on method for tapping such a resource.
The one point that everyone is overlooking is that we are in period of inflation. Inflation caused by a 500 billion dollar war that we cannot sustain. Inflation caused by the Federal Reserve printing money to cover said war.
At a certain point, everything starts costing more money.
Big oil knows this and just keeps jacking up the price, by mandate of the Bush/Cheney Regime. They need the extra tax revenues to cover their little Vietnam.
Here’s the equation: A higher per tank cost = more tax money to Uncle Sam = more war = big profits for Halliburton, Exxon, and such = big money for Bush/Cheney and cronies.
The circle goes round and round eroding the middle class.
Wow the tin foil hat crowd is ot in full force on this one.
The same morons blaming Bush and Big oil are probably the same people who don’t want to drill for more oil in ANWR, or build new refineries, build nucular power stations, Wow the tin foil hat crowd is out in full force on this one.
The same morons blaming Bush and big oil are the same people who don’t want to drill for more oil in ANWR, build new refineries, build nuclear power stations, or place wind turbines off the cost of the “Kennedy compound”.
Then Pelosi and the party of defeat blame Bush for not having an energy policy!! Where is the “new Congress” on this one. They have sat on their hands for 6 years now and did nothing. Freekin idiots did you know that a certain big oil man has a home that actually produces more energy than it consumes? And his name ain’t Al “Private Jet” Gore.
And please Nancy Pelosi and the lefties are the ones who demand the special blends of fuel and protest new refineries that cause the refineries to get overloaded this time every year.
If the tree huggers actually did more than carry signs and actually had a job maybe they would see that being “Progressive” is more than tearing things down and blaming everyone else.
If you want to place blame look to the left!
We haven’t built a new refinery since 1976. In 1986 we had 254 operating refineries, today we have around 142. Is it a conspiracy that they keep running into problems and can’t produce? probably not. but these oil companies aren’t going to be exactly proactive in preventing it from happening. we need stricter regulations and more frequent inspections in order to keep these running. american refineries produce about 17 million barrels and consume 22 million, leaving us dependent on a significant amount of foreign oil.
Oil companies are not stupid, they know that building more refineries would hurt their profit, so they will not do it. one thing i don’t understand is why almost all refineries are run by oil companies. in the past there were actually refinery companies that ran the refineries. if we could make the business of refining companies profitable again we may be able to increase our domestic output, without relying on oil companies to do it.
The funny part is most of the people most vocal about rising gas prices are the same ones who would cry bloody murder if a refinery was going to be built near their neighborhood.
Well you can’t expect to please everyone. Building refineries would make some people very upset. However it would benefit a significantly larger number of people…for the greater good
–All the the tree hugg–
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
Yes Dave; we are keenly aware that tree huggers need to wake up.
and such = big money for Bush/Cheney and cronies.
Billaind;
Tell this to Nancy and Harry. I’m here for solutions, not left wing fingerpointing.
“Because only “WE THE PEOPLE” control the demand for oil, and in turn it’s supply, “WE THE PEOPLE” are to blame for its increased costs.”
OK lets get one thing straight. NO ONE with an ounce of REAL knowledge on this subject ACTUALLY believes Gas Prices (overall) have ANYTHING at all to do with Supply and Demand.
Supply and Demand infer that the supply and the demand are not “altered” artificially and with intent.
For example intentionally witholding supply so that you insure that demand will exceed supply is “controlling” the price. In many fields this is actually illegal.
It is a known fact it is not even HIDDEN that OPEC affiliates have a contractual agreement LIMITING there production of gasoline on purpose so that THEY and NOT supply and demand can dictate the price of gasoline. It has absolutely nothing to do with Supply and Demand.
The cost of gas this week verse NEXT week has something to do with supply and demand. The cost of gas today and last year has pretty much nothing to do with supply and demand in any way shape or form.
In fact when an OPEC affiliate starts pumping out MORE gas to increase revenue they are fined and or punished by the others for breaching the agreement to restrict gasoline flow.
This is not conspiracy people this is common knowledge.
Anyone who thinks $2.80+ a gallon has ANYTHING to do with supply and demand is deluding themselves or simply utterly uneducated in the subject matter.
They control the price of gasoline DIRECTLY and the auto industry literally refuses to make an alternative to sell us because the alternatives are longer lasting and lower maintenance therfore not as profitable. This was an active intentional decision on the part of auto makers. It is precisely why we do not have an EV car for which the technology has been mature and ready for consumer road use for almost 14 years.
The few they made were intentionally crushed and all knowledge was buried to REMOVE the very concept from the mindset of the american public. this was an intentional decision. They refused to sell a single car because they KNEW for an absolute fact that if this technology became not only publicly known but also TOUCHABLE and EXPERIENCABLE by the general populace that the people of this nation would DEMAND IT and would not take no for an answer. We do not demand it because it is not know to us (general public) Most people really think its just too expensive and not good enough or not enough range blah blah blah.
If they could get nearly 200 mile ranges 14 years ago JUST IMAGINE what kind of ranges we would have TODAY if this technology was released and IN consumer hands and COMPETING for the last 14 years. Just think about that for a moment.
If it was already good enough cheap enough effecient enough 14 years ago JUST IMAGINE where it would be today if it was being updated actively every year.
I am pretty damned confident we would have 600+ mile range EV’s for under 10k today if it have been allowed to progress and evolve from 14 years ago.
All the research and technology is DONE. no more R&D dollars to spend to “get it on the road” its done already. All these small companies have to blow massive research dollars to ATTEMPT to cover the footsteps GM has already covered and refuses to even acknowledge. The FEW (2 or 3 IIRC) that were given to museums have the key technologies REMOVED or DESTROYED to insure no one can easily replicate what they have done.
This was all very malicious thoughtout and intentionally done. They wanted the very idea of a practical EV eliminated from the possible mindset of the people because to them this is fatally dangerous information. It will dramatically reduce there “profits” and by a LOT.
This administration is big oil bush is an oil man profiting from big oil, just like his dad. Cheney is an oil man owned by Haliburton. Condalisa Rice came from big oil. James baker the 1st secratary of state was from an oil company. Bush made tax provisions for small business to be able to buy hummers in his first administration. Big oil owns our government. The war maybe not for oil, just an excuse to disrupt supplies. Now right to the end he is filling the stratigc oil reserve, to further drive the price of oil up. We are being screwed by big oil. Bush works for the middle east. I think they will all get away with it. Even keeping Chaves angry with him to make him cut his supply is all part of the plan.
Eventually we will move to cleaner, renewable, and more local sources of energy – solar, wind, corn. BigOil is writting it’s demise. I used to fill up my tank for $19. I paid $67 this morning. People are making changes and once they do, their old patterns of consumption will be history.
I think your wrong. When we start to go to alternative energy they will drop the price back to 50-60 bucks a barrel to stop all interest in alternative fuels and then when jeb bush gets back in we will go through this once again.
I very much agree with you there. The oil company is a business, and like all busines they are trying to make money. It isn’t the goverments fault when something wrong happens within a business. American needs to start looking at new ways to fuel cars other then oil. Who knows how long oil will be around, we need to make something for when it dosent exist. America is the top users of oil, and people need to stop blaming Bush for all their problems.
*~ashley~*
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