You know gas is getting expensive when...

[Jimzz]

You know gas is getting expensive when your credit card is preauthorized for $150. I remember it was $50 then $80-100 depending on the card but just noticed my AA had a $150 preauthorized charge from when I went to add some gas yesterday. Most places here are $3.89 and some in the low $4 range per gallon.

Need to check the gas awards as well. They use to not allow more than 1% if it was over $50.

 

[Crono]

I haven't noticed, I almost always use cash.

 

[mikeymikec]

It sounds like US petrol prices are coming into line with Europe's. The UK's have gone up loads in recent years.

When I pay by card, the pre-authorised amount is £99 GBP, which is pretty much $160 USD IIRC.

 

[waitman]

Last week when I got gas at shell it was $90

 

[dmcowen674]

You know gas is getting expensive when your credit card is preauthorized for $150.

Most places here are $3.89 and some in the low $4 range per gallon.

They are expecting $6 gas this year.

Some places like LA, NY and Chicago may hit $8

Enjoy

 

[OILFIELDTRASH]

They are expecting $6 gas this year.

Some places like LA, NY and Chicago may hit $8

Enjoy

I heard $10. LA, NY, etc.. around $15.

 

[dmcowen674]

I heard $10. LA, NY, etc.. around $15.

Average

You know the idiots always screaming average.

 

[boomhower]

It sounds like US petrol prices are coming into line with Europe's. The UK's have gone up loads in recent years.

When I pay by card, the pre-authorised amount is £99 GBP, which is pretty much $160 USD IIRC.

Your getting the benefit of taxes in that amount, we're just getting hammered by the oil companies right now.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally Posted by mikeymikec
It sounds like US petrol prices are coming into line with Europe's. The UK's have gone up loads in recent years.

When I pay by card, the pre-authorised amount is £99 GBP, which is pretty much $160 USD IIRC.

Your getting the benefit of taxes in that amount, we're just getting hammered by the oil companies right now.

They get Universal Healthcare, we get Universally screwed.

 

[waggy]

hmm i thought the only reason gas was expensive was Bush was in bed with the oil company's.

so why is it happening now?

 

[Engineer]

hmm i thought the only reason gas was expensive was Bush was in bed with the oil company's.

so why is it happening now?

Wall Street.

 

[Ken g6]

hmm i thought the only reason gas was expensive was Bush was in bed with the oil company's.

so why is it happening now?

 

[Engineer]

Yet oil production in the US is skyrocketing AND use is down to the lowest point in over a decade (and dropping). The US is poised to import oil ONLY from Canada in about 5 years.

At the same time (even with a decade's low usage), the amount of money spent (as a percent of household income) by the average US family is at a 30 year high.

It's not about oil prices so much as it's about refining. 8 US refineries are being shut down permanently. Throw in the fact that the US is now shipping over 1 million barrels of refined gas out of the country (our number 1 export), and you get what we have.....nearly $4.00 per gallon of regular gas nationwide.

 

[KeithP]

hmm i thought the only reason gas was expensive was Bush was in bed with the oil company's.

so why is it happening now?

Because the rich aren't being taxed enough and too many guns are on the street.

-KeithP

 

[sixone]

They are expecting $6 gas this year.

Some places like LA, NY and Chicago may hit $8

Enjoy

They said that last year. And the year before. And the year before that.

 

[waggy]

It's not about oil prices so much as it's about refining. 8 US refineries are being shut down permanently. Throw in the fact that the US is now shipping over 1 million barrels of refined gas out of the country (our number 1 export), and you get what we have.....nearly $4.00 per gallon of regular gas nationwide.

yeah i remember reading about that. we need new refineries but between all the lawsuits they can't get htem built.

 

[ponyo]

yeah i remember reading about that. we need new refineries but between all the lawsuits they can't get htem built.

Refineries are an excuse. If you fix the refineries situation, they'll just come up with another excuse.

 

[MaxPayne63]

Refineries are an excuse. If you fix the refineries situation, they'll just come up with another excuse.

Kind of like a broken leg is an excuse for not walking.

 

[dmcowen674]

It's not about oil prices so much as it's about refining.

8 US refineries are being shut down permanently.

Throw in the fact that the US is now shipping over 1 million barrels of refined gas out of the country (our number 1 export), and you get what we have.....nearly $4.00 per gallon of regular gas nationwide.

Just bolding and quoting you.

It's OK for you to say but not me.

 

[Engineer]

yeah i remember reading about that. we need new refineries but between all the lawsuits they can't get htem built.

Why do we need new ones? We are running the lowest utilization of the last 20 years (down in the 70% range before the 8 closures) and that's with shipping over 1 million barrels per day out of the country. Usage dropping = needed refining for domestic purposes dropping.

If we need new ones, why are the old ones closing (instead of simply retooling)? It's about capacity and we have too much. Just like anything else, business will close down production if they have too much capacity and can't sell the product.

 

[dmcowen674]

Originally Posted by waggy
yeah i remember reading about that. we need new refineries but between all the lawsuits they can't get htem built.

Why do we need new ones? We are running the lowest utilization of the last 20 years (down in the 70% range before the 8 closures) and that's with shipping over 1 million barrels per day out of the country. Usage dropping = needed refining for domestic purposes dropping.

Hehehehe kick that Chicagoans ass :thumbsup:

 

[Wonderful Pork]

Yet oil production in the US is skyrocketing AND use is down to the lowest point in over a decade (and dropping). The US is poised to import oil ONLY from Canada in about 5 years.

At the same time (even with a decade's low usage), the amount of money spent (as a percent of household income) by the average US family is at a 30 year high.

It's not about oil prices so much as it's about refining. 8 US refineries are being shut down permanently. Throw in the fact that the US is now shipping over 1 million barrels of refined gas out of the country (our number 1 export), and you get what we have.....nearly $4.00 per gallon of regular gas nationwide.

But what's the solution? The US is currently dealing with higher gas prices due to globalization. Companies can sell their products overseas, which creates a scarcity here so they can charge what they want. It's basically the definition of inelastic demand.

So other than have a "most favored nation" clause (which is untenable) there isn't much we can do. More refineries won't help since we're shipping it all overseas anyway and Government intervention to force lower prices isn't so smart either. Perhaps oil prices could go down if futures trading was limited, but to what end? It'll never be back down in the $1.xx range, I doubt anything less than $2.50 and that would be as we've already moved on to other technologies to replace gasoline autos which isn't on the horizon as much as I wish it were.

I'd love to buy an electric car but they just don't pass muster yet - and for such an expensive purchase I don't want to be a beta tester since I only have 1 vehicle.

 

[Engineer]

But what's the solution? The US is currently dealing with higher gas prices due to globalization. Companies can sell their products overseas, which creates a scarcity here so they can charge what they want. It's basically the definition of inelastic demand.

So other than have a "most favored nation" clause (which is untenable) there isn't much we can do. More refineries won't help since we're shipping it all overseas anyway and Government intervention to force lower prices isn't so smart either. Perhaps oil prices could go down if futures trading was limited, but to what end? It'll never be back down in the $1.xx range, I doubt anything less than $2.50 and that would be as we've already moved on to other technologies to replace gasoline autos which isn't on the horizon as much as I wish it were.

I'd love to buy an electric car but they just don't pass muster yet - and for such an expensive purchase I don't want to be a beta tester since I only have 1 vehicle.

It's taking care of itself ever so slowly. Higher prices put an emphasis on vehicles that don't use oil (whatever the type) as well as making the ones that we use much more efficient (notice how there are many, non hybrids that get 40mpg highway now or more?).

Low gas prices will keep the status quo....higher prices will move us to alternatives as they become better/cheaper over the long haul. At that point, we can sell the majority of the refined gas to the rest of the world for a "services" profit. Hell, we can even import oil, refine it and sell it with a nice profit.

Also, as the US economy slips into recession after recession because of higher energy prices and other factors, the world tends to follow and the energy companies and speculators...er...energy traders know it. They will not push it too far without backing off a tad. Notice how we now feel that $3.00 gas is CHEAP. Try that in 1998, when gas was $0.49 in KY (oil was $10.25 per barrel) and see how "CHEAP" it is.

 

[Naeeldar]

Why do we need new ones? We are running the lowest utilization of the last 20 years (down in the 70% range before the 8 closures) and that's with shipping over 1 million barrels per day out of the country. Usage dropping = needed refining for domestic purposes dropping.

If we need new ones, why are the old ones closing (instead of simply retooling)? It's about capacity and we have too much. Just like anything else, business will close down production if they have too much capacity and can't sell the product.

The "newest" refinery in the United States began operating in 2008 in Douglas, Wyoming. However, the newest significant (or sophisticated) refinery began operating in 1977 in Garyville, Louisiana.

Took this from wikepdia the net effect is that we haven't build a real new refinery in over 30 years hell approaching 40 years. Usage dropping or not is besides the point they are all very old and no matter how much maintainance you do they are still hurting.

Refineries are not the be all and end all solution but it's definitely a big issue right now. And the current environmental laws make building a new one damn near impossible.

Until alternate enegy comes into play in real volume (we are years from that for now although natural gas could be the waive for cars in the future) we will continue to have higher gas prices until it becomes so polticialy unpopular that people are willing to "hurt" the environment. I figure we'll see that happen when we hit about $7 bucks a gallon on average nationally.

 

[Soundmanred]

$3.80 here for premium.
Still just a $100 temp hold that lasts 45 minutes.