Energy spokesman - "Crude could top at $80 by end of '05"

[gasolineboycottday]

Oil, Natural Gas Rise After Katrina Damages U.S. Gulf Platforms

Aug. 30 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil and natural gas climbed after Hurricane Katrina damaged platforms and ports and curtailed production at refineries as it slammed the Gulf of Mexico coast, the source of almost a third of U.S. oil output.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc said its 220,000 barrel-a-day Mars platform, which is able to pump as much as 15 percent of U.S. Gulf output, suffered damage. Katrina, which killed at least 54 people, shut 92 percent of U.S. Gulf crude production and eight refineries. President George W. Bush may tap the U.S. strategic petroleum reserve to help producers compensate for disruptions.

``The worst case scenario is pretty bad,'' said Seth Kleinman, an analyst at PFC Energy in Washington. ``You have power outages that could severely impact refining. The problem is on the product side. There is little that can be done about that, particularly gasoline.''

Crude oil for October delivery rose as much as $1.28, or 1.9 percent, to $68.48 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, where it was up $1.07 at 12:22 p.m. London time. Oil, which reached a record $70.80 yesterday as the storm approached, has jumped 61 percent from a year ago.

``It wouldn't surprise me if we're back at $70 by the end of this week,'' said Kleinman. ``I think that we're headed toward $80 by the end of the year.''

Elizabeth
cofounder
Gasoline Boycott Day 3
Labor Day - Sept. 5, 2005
http://www.gasolineboycottday.org

[BlueEyedSon]

1. BTW, a "gasoline boycott day" is a really dumb idea

Why that is the case has been discussed many times here on DU.

Sorry.

[gasolineboycottday]

2. This will be our third boycott success this year...

This will be our third gasoline boycott success this year...
I guess you haven't been following...

[BlueEyedSon]

3. Define "success"

Hope its not like the "success" we are having in Iraq.....

[tanyev]

4. By the end of the year?

How about by the end of September?

[elperromagico]

5. I'd heard $100 by winter.

$80 at the end of the year might be the best case scenario.

[zbdent]

6. A little optimistic, isn't he?

[BlueEyedSon]

7. Hello, it's Peak Oil

As far as one-day boycotts, let's assume that all participants in the boycott really end up buying less gas for the year, not just buying the same amount by filling up the day before or after the "boycott day." Let's also assume that you get 1% of the US private drivers to participate. Assume that private drivers are 1/3 of the road transportation gas/diesel use.

The boycott saved

1/365 * 1/100 * 1/3 = 0.0009%

of yearly gas/diesel road transportation fuel.

I see your approach as DAMAGING because it may convince people they are doing something effective to help solve the problem - when they ARE NOT. Real, lasting gas savings comes from:

Get a Hybrid/much more efficient vehicle
Bike and/or walk instead
Plan and combine trips (for shopping, work, picking up the kids, etc.)
Don't drive once per week ALL YEAR, NOT JUST ONE DAY
Carpool

[gasolineboycottday]

8. How many Amer. consumers can afford to run out and go hybrid?

How many Amer. consumers can afford to run out and go hybrid?
How many can coordinate carpools? We've all tried it at some point and it's VERY difficult to do depending on your commute and work times...
We do support carpooling nonetheless... and fuel-efficient autos...
How many citizens are ANYWHERE near some type of public transportation that is affordable and that they can use EVERYDAY of the week?
Boycotts and strikes ARE NOT, as you said "damaging"...
They send powerful political messages/agendas that many, many Americans overwhelmingly support...
Our efforts are growing every day.
We support alternative energy research and a decrease in dependency on oil. And the capping of gas prices. There's more to it than just going out and purchasing an expensive hybrid. It's POLITICAL and it's important that we support activism...
At this pace, with all your help, we'll be able to boycott gasoline each year more and more often... that's effective...

[BlueEyedSon]

9. Must be PLENTY, just look at all the SUV's, Minivans and Hummers.

How will you "decrease dependency on oil"? You just replied that all of the ways that are known to be effective at achieving that are really hard or impossible.

If you - and your supporters - are not decreasing your OWN usage (by the ways I mentioned, or others.... I'm listening!) whose are you decreasing? Is your strategy to boycott/demonstrate (or "whatever") and then expect other people to cut their oil consuption?

Gee, it will be really hard to decrease our dependency on oil. Guess we should give up.

on edit:
Prius starting at $17k
Civic starting at $18k
Insight starting at $19k
thx, Froogle!