$3 gas -- is it here to stay?

[NeoConsSuck]

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - The pain of $3 at the pump could end soon for many Americans, but the respite in gasoline prices may be modest -- and only temporary, energy experts said Wednesday.

In any event, gasoline prices rarely fall as quickly as they go up, so consumers should get used to higher prices at the pump.

The disruptions to gasoline supplies and U.S. refining capacity that helped drive gasoline prices to record highs are being fixed. But the wider-than-normal gap between wholesale and average retail prices was driven in large part by those supply disruptions, according to the Geoff Sundstrom, a spokesman for AAA.

As long as the chimp remains pResident, it's bend over America!

http://money.cnn.com/2005/09/07/news/economy/three_dollar_gas/index.htm?cnn=yes

[unrepuke]

1. $3 here to stay? Hell no. $4 right around the corner

[Sal Minella]

43. Soy diesel is $2.80 here. And that price will just keep going down

as soyfuel use becomes more common and people turn more to diesel cars.

The VW diesel is a handsome vehicle and runs totally independent of the Saudis and the Carlyle Group. Two of my friends drive them and love them, carry yellow plastic biodiesel containers in the trunk. Also, no smell. No converstion needed to burn biodiesel.

But change is hard for us.

[jkappy]

46. 3.79-4.09 here

in east central new york. just a bit cheaper if you cross the border and buy in vermont, but hardly worth a separate trip.

hard to see references to this 3 buck average.

[Im_Your_Huckleberry]

2. no, soon it will be $4.

[Spinzonner]

3. Regular never reached $3 where I live

and dropped a few cents to $2.85 (best local price) last night.

[RaleighNCDUer]

36. Where would that be?

Here in NC the best I can find is $3.05, after dropping from $3.39. Ya notice, it always does a BIG jump, then settles down .15 - .30 cents lower, making the lower (but higher than before) price look good.

[Spinzonner]

51. Orange County, California

but then we have our own source (Alaska), refineries and gas formulation.

[Triana]

4. I told ya so...

...they will NEVER, EVER go back down. Once the oil barons have an excuse (ANY will do) to raise the prices and a oily monkey in the white house to support them - they'll charge what they damn well please. Oil went DOWN to $66+ / barrel and the pipelines/refineries are ALL now operating at full capacity AND we've accepted oil (crude and refined) from other countries and STILL they've got the gas prices jacked up to over $3/gallon EVERYWHERE in this country.

What's there EXCUSE?

*oink* *oink* They're greedy pigs. Ain't nothing else.

[NeoConsSuck]

8. The second paragraph says it all..

Crude oil futures rose less than gasoline futures after Katrina, and have fallen much more quickly, retreating to pre-Katrina levels on Monday.


But Sundstrom said that

oil companies are keeping many gasoline stations on limited allocations of motor fuel

, prompting station owners to raise prices more quickly, and bring them back down more slowly.

[napi21]

5. I'm sure that's what the oil business is hoping for!

I've said all along, push them prices up to numbers unknown, and reset people's minds. How many people do you know right now who would think 1.99 would be GREAT????

They did this same damn thing back in the 70's. Gas was selling for around .35-.39/gal. All of sudden there was a shortage, long lines, stations out of gas, and guess what? Everybody though it was just terrific when they could buy their gas for .65/gal.

I don't know how to prove this, but I'm positive that's exactly what's happening now!

[texastoast]

18. Silly rabbit

Just because an oil man is selected president, puts oil people in the most powerful positions in the U.S. government, has family ties to Arabian royalty, owns many interests in that Arabian oil, and claims homeland ties to Texas (the little shit is NOT a Texan, mind you), you think that this oil price thing was rigged?

Come come.

Seriously, what caused it in the 70s was the fact that U.S. companies were not paying the Middle Easterners their fair share to begin with. OPEC happened, and the U.S. companies charged the consumers rather than take a cut on their own profits.

The Americans then did not raise nine kinds of hell in favor of really good public transportation. You have to fight these bastards and fight them in unity.

And, I have it on good authority (I too have family ties to the oil business), that oil companies can make a good living at $25 a barrel. But it's not a good living they are after.

Really, it's all China's fault.

[RaleighNCDUer]

37. Actually, we did raise holy hell for quality public transportation

then Reagan came in and undercut it all. Bus drivers strike crippled the interstate bus system when the owners, with Reagan backing, refused to negotiate and screwed the union -- there used to be dozens of bus companies, now there's Greyhound...does Trailways still exist? Amtrak was critically underfunded, forcing it to abandon 'non-profitable' lines at just the time that ridership was increasing.

But yer right - it's all China's fault.

[LaPera]

6. I can't wait for $5.00 a gallon...seems like a nice round figure!

[The Sleeper]

9. Your wish is my command...

I only live to serve.

sincerely,
Dick Cheney

[RaleighNCDUer]

38. I'm shooting for $6.66.

George.

[Ericmaxey]

7. i think $3 is fair

might keep people from buying ridiculously large vehicles

[ElsewheresDaughter]

10. hell it's $3.49 and going up daily here in upstate NY

[HockeyMom]

17. It's actually going down on Long Island

There were a couple of stations that were at $3.79 last week that are down to $3.19 or $3.29. Yet, who would ever have thought just hovering at the $3 a gallon mark would be "cheap"?

I am more worried about what my home heating bills will be this winter.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

25. i just heard on the news that heating oil will be up 40% this winter and

natural gas will be up 79% ....jesus

[Danmel]

40. You and me both, HockeyMom

I just paid $25 for half a tank in Commack. I also heard today that natural gas for home heating is going to go up 71%!!!!!! 71%!!!!!!!!

I guess we'll light a lot of fires, eat a lot of soup and wear a lot of sweaters cause I don't think our wages are gonna go up 71%!

[texastoast]

11. Nope.

My money is on $5.

[NeoConsSuck]

13. There's one big problem with that..

it's going to hurt the suburbs a hell of a lot more than the city dwellers.

And usually cities are Democratic, suburbs are freeptard country.

But then again, does this criminal administration even give a fuk?

[texastoast]

15. Tell me.

I'm on the bus for $8.25 round trip every day. It's cheaper to do that than pay gas and the tolls, much less wear and tear.

I would get a scooter to run in the neighborhood, but the what's-a-speed-limit cowboy 4WD pickup drivers would kill me, and I'm just not ready to give them that satisfaction.

[NeoConsSuck]

16. I'm thinking about a scooter for the spring..

I live in a cold climate, but for five months of the year, I could commute to work on a scooter. I would get the 250cc model, however. I have to be able to reach 50 mph.

A few people have them at my job, they love 'em!

[texastoast]

19. You don't need 250cc to go 50.

Here's a link. I've been shopping.

http://www.motobykz.co.uk/Piaggio/Piaggio.htm

[MADem]

26. Piaggio has a great little three wheeled truck!!!

It is basically a scooter, with a cab that can seat two if you are real good friends, and a flatbed back atop two wheels. You saw them everywhere in Italy. Scooter mileage, hauling capability, and you didn't get wet in inclement weather!!!

http://dev.null.org/_gal/i/travel/SmallCarsOfItaly/img_9285?s=V

[texastoast]

29. Those look like old US Mail carts

Back from a hundred years ago!

[MADem]

30. Or British milk trucks

Which still ply the UK byways to this day!

[happyslug]

31. The Only Problem is they are NOT imported into the US

I have also been looking. Like the Idea of some sort of small utility van like the one in your picture, but can;t find any in the US except one made in India (Which does NOT come with doors, so NOT what I want).

[texastoast]

48. Here's a cutie

And they are very smart. Really. It says so. Seriously, I had a friend who drove one in Italy, loved it, and she really can't wait until 2006 when they will be imported (according to this website). I didn't see anything about mileage, and I wonder if there are four-seaters available

http://www.autointell.com/nao_companies/daimlerchrysler/smart/smart.htm

www.smart.com

[happyslug]

54. I am familiar with the Smart Car.

Like its VW's competitor the Lupo, not yet in the US (The SMART car is scheduled for sale in the US, the Lupo is not). The latest delay was caused by the EPA only giving it a Mileage rating of 37mpg. Under US law the car companies can ONLY use EPA test results (This comes out of the 1970s where you had various claims of High Mileage by the big three that were based on cruising down hill at 25 miles per hour, something the vast majority of people did not and do not do). I remember a FORD ad for its Crown Victoria, claiming the Crown Victoria averaged 25 mpg between two cities (And then you find out the road between the two is all down hill almost no curves and FORD drove the Crown Victoria at 25 mph to get the 25 mpg).

For the last 30 years the EPA mileage guides have worked quite well. No one gets the EPA mileage numbers but actual gas mileage was and is NOT the purpose of the EPA test. The purpose of the test is to permit people to compare mileage of two cars, knowing that if the EPA test one better than the other, the first car will generally get better mileage than the second (i.e. the EPA test was for Comparison purposes only NOT a report what people will get, if you want your car to get the EPA highway mileage drive your car with no one in it on a flat and level track at 50 mph. IF you want the EPA city driving, drive the car for 11 miles with 23 stops (with slow braking for the machines of the 1960s when the test was developed could NOT handle anything but slow braking), averaging 23 mph and reaching 56 mph at least once. If you say NO ONE DRIVES LIKE THAT, even the EPA will agree with you, but efforts to change the test has been fought and Congress forbids the use of any other numbers.

For more on the EPA test see:
http://www.geology.wisc.edu/~johnf/rechtin.html
http://www.allpar.com/fix/EPAMethods.html

The Smart car's engine is just to small to operate efficiently at the speeds of the test (I suspect VW did not import the Lupo for the same reason, both cars are design to operate efficiently at about 30mph and the only way to get the engine up to the speeds required in the EPA test is to over rev the engine which kills the gas economy of the engine).

But I am really looking for a panel delivery truck that gets great mileage. I would like a three wheel van for what I want is more an advertising/ local delivery vehicle than a real van or pickup.

[RaleighNCDUer]

39. With all of us on scooters and bicycles

those pictures you see of Shanghai and Peking suddenly don't look so quaint and charming.

We are moving into the third world.

Disclaimer - I ride a bike to work most days myself.

[texastoast]

50. The times they are a-changing

You are right. I just wonder when we will see camels and donkey carts on the freeway.

[firefox]

12. $3 a gallon gas is the conservation plan

Lowering gas prices is a clear danger to national security. You cannot destroy our only conservation plan. Besides being ludicrous, it should be treated as a criminal act that violates national security. :wtf:

[tedoll78]

14. BRING IT ON.

Gimme $4. If that's what it takes to wake-up the dumbfucks in this country, so be it.

[dweller]

20. didn't Sen. Levin plan to introduce a bill today

to roll back/freeze prices at pre-hurricane levels?

what happened with that?

been away all day.

dp

[TheCowsCameHome]

21. $3 will look like a bargain after Bush & Co. get through porking us.

[TroubleMan]

22. If only we would be so lucky.

$3.00 is gonna look cheap in a couple of years.

[tom_paine]

23. I think the Busheviks & Axis will drop it to $2.50

during the spring of next year. To sort of help out THE PARTY and make sure they get enough real votes to keep it close enought o steal.

("close enough to steal" probably now means at least 10%)

[woodsprite]

24. $3 will look cheap after the Oil barrons are done with price gouging. n/t

[AzDar]

27. I'm ALL for driving smaller vehicles, and using public transportation..

but for some, this just ISN'T a realistic option. This fuel-cost increase hurts ALL sectors of the economy; food costs, home-heating/cooling costs, etc..
Let's face it...if you can afford to purchase a Hummer, an extra 75 bucks a week in the tank isn't going to hurt much, anyway.
This is hurting (as usual) those who can afford it the least. It needs to be stopped.....We are being TERRORIZED by Big Oil.

[sam sarrha]

33. what F'n PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.. there is NONE.!! we are screwed here

rural TN

[AzDar]

41. I hear you...Even in the suburbs of Phoenix, growth is such that

there is NO WAY to make public transportation a viable option. Not that local government is trying to seriously address the issue, or anything, anyway....

[ramapo]

28. The longer at $3.25+ the happier people are w/$3

NJ prices have dropped a bit since the weekend but are well over the $3 mark. I'd be surprised to see prices dip much below $3. The barrier has been broken and now $2.999 will be seen as a "bargain".

Higher prices are not unwarrented as a means to drive down consumption and move peple back to a '70s mindset to conserve. Of course, oil companies shouldn't be profiting, the money should be going to mass transit.

[Skink]

32. It's not gonna be a good Christmas for retailers..

And then the reccession kicks in. Cherio.

[rkc3]

34. You think?

How many billions of dollars will be transferred out of retailers to oil company coffers over the next three months?

Reduced spending on discretionary items means fewer jobs means less money going back to the market - some might call it a death spiral. Wonder what neocons call it?

[apnu]

35. there might be a sliver lining here

If $3, $4 and $5 gas is a reality, imagine how little driving will happen, saving emissions. And biking will become a new fad! Hey we might even get to shed our obesity that way!

:sarcasm:

[MercutioATC]

42. I hope it goes to $4...better yet, $5...

We're innovators, but we only innovate when it's profitable. Gas is still too cheap at $3/gallon.

Let it hit $5 and we'll find better ways to do things.

[Dukkha]

44. LET IT RISE

Americans are greedy capitalists. they only care about the Almighty dollar If this is what it takes to get the outrage going than so be it. I won't be happy until Oil executives are dragged out into the streets and released to the mob.

[Nay]

45. We're gonna wish $3/gallon gas was here to stay. . .

[olddad56]

47. nowhere is the subject of conservation ever mentioned in CA.

Fuck, our knuckle-dragging Neanderthal Nazi Governor drives a hummer. People are still buying SUV's like there is no tomorrow in Ca.

[Free2BMe]

49. Natural gas heating costs (NYS)projected increase...winter

2005-2006 is 70%

[ProfessorGAC]

52. Analysts Today (Heard On Bloomberg Radio) Think. . .

. . .they will settle in at about $2.50 to $2.70 depending upon locale and tax levels. They were esimating this would happen by late November and they stabilize. I didn't hear who the analysts were, though. I caught the back end of the report when i was driving back to the hotel tonight. I don't think i missed too much of it, but i at least missed the "who".
The Professor

[Sven77]

53. Exxon's $10B fill-up: Cashing in on crunch

Exxon's $10B fill-up: Cashing in on crunch
http://business.bostonherald.com/businessNews/view.bg?articleid=101320

Oil companies came under new fire yesterday when it emerged that ExxonMobil's profits are likely to soar above $10 billion this quarter on the back of the fuel crisis.
That's $110 million a day, and more net income than any company has ever made in a quarter. It's also a stunning 69 percent increase over the same period a year ago and a 34 percent jump from the $7.6 billion Exxon made just last quarter.