Gasoline May Rise Above $5 a Gallon

[LTLFTcomposite]

Here's what I'm wondering, when the GOP retakes the white house in 2016 and a year or two later later gas spikes to $8, will people say "hey, gas was $1.75 when Obama left office" ?

 

[AndyH]

A little dose of S Texas 'conventional wisdom'...
http://www.aacog.com/civicalerts.aspx?AID=596

Posted on: December 30, 2014
Lower Gasoline Prices in San Antonio Area Could Go Farther

At an average of $2.03 per gallon, gasoline prices in the Alamo area are lower than they have been in several years. Still, when the generosity and celebration of the holiday season is leaving many a payment card drained, even these prices can be taxing.

At this time of year, keeping in mind some simple ways to make a gallon of gas go farther and leave more money accessible through that payment card can be helpful. The Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) suggests these easy, gas-saving methods:

Ease up on the gas and brake pedals. Speeding, rapid acceleration, and excessive braking can lower gas mileage by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent on city streets. On average, aggressive driving wastes about $0.68 per gallon on the open road and $0.10 per gallon in town.

Drive the speed limit or slightly less: While the speed limit on major roadways in our urbanized areas does not exceed 65 or 70 miles per hour (mph), many people creep above those limits to 70 or 75 mph. Driving steadily at 75 rather than 65 mph uses an average of 14 percent more gasoline per gallon, which is about $0.28 worth.

Avoid traffic congestion: While going almost nowhere in heavy traffic, a conventional vehicle can use one-fourth to one-half gallon of gas per hour (depending on engine size and AC use). Avoiding peak rush hours and heavy traffic areas caused by construction or special events can save anywhere from $0.51 to $1.02 per hour.

Park and go inside: Like sitting in heavy traffic, idling in a line of vehicles in restaurant and pharmacy drive-through lanes wastes gasoline. Contrary to popular belief, it does not use more gas to shut off a vehicle’s engine to go inside to pick up an order and restart it upon return. Idling a conventional vehicle’s engine for more than 10 seconds uses more gas than turning off an engine and restarting it.

Combine errands into one trip: Several short trips taken with a cold engine can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Postponing nonessential trips until several can be taken at once will save gas money.

Because the nitrogen oxides found in vehicle emissions are major contributor to ground level ozone, which is the primary form of air pollution in the Alamo region, using less gasoline not only saves money, but also helps improve air quality. More fuel-saving tips and other information about the link between transportation and air quality may be found at cleanairdrive.com.

I suspect the highlighted sentence in the last paragraph (emphasis mine) is the primary reason this statement was released. San Antonio is the largest or one of the largest still in EPA clean-air attainment without emissions monitoring, though they've been teetering on the edge the past few years. Even in this solidly 'blue' area, folks don't want to 'give in' to the Feds and spend money to clean the air any more than is "absolutely necessary"...

 

[AndyH]

Here's what I'm wondering, when the GOP retakes the white house in 2016 and a year or two later later gas spikes to $8, will people say "hey, gas was $1.75 when Obama left office" ?

:lol:

Not likely. The GOP has done a masterful job of staying on message the past 7 or so years. I don't see this being part of the message, though.

 

[mwalsh]

Here's what I'm wondering, when the GOP retakes the white house in 2016 and a year or two later later gas spikes to $8, will people say "hey, gas was $1.75 when Obama left office" ?

:lol:

Not likely. The GOP has done a masterful job of staying on message the past 7 or so years. I don't see this being part of the message, though.

Even if gas prices were to go through the roof after a (highly hypothetical) GOP capture of the White House in 2016, and even if it's well after, they will still find a way to make it Obama's fault.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/exclusive-oil-glut-spurs-top-161022997.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Let's see, how about we keep a bunch of extra oil floating around in ships at sea... what could possibly go wrong?

I hope we have taken this opportunity to top off the SPR.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Saw this yesterday while working and yea... the dreaded day has come when Gas has won the price wars with EVs

 

[mkjayakumar]

Gingrich was wrong then and he is even more wrong now !!

http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=3872bad904308135ca41de823&id=a3708ff2f5&e=c6ccf33394" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[AndyH]

Here's what I'm wondering, when the GOP retakes the white house in 2016 and a year or two later later gas spikes to $8, will people say "hey, gas was $1.75 when Obama left office" ?

It appears they'll not only NOT credit the current president, but will expand their message to make it look like THEY in fact brought the price down.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/...merica-s-Good-Economy-To-Oooh-You-re-So-Close
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...mcconnell-for-linking-gop-to-positive-economy

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has an explanation for the glut of good economic news that has broken in the last few weeks: People are excited about a Republican Congress.

“After so many years of sluggish growth, we’re finally starting to see some economic data that can provide a glimmer of hope; the uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the Obama Administration’s long tenure in Washington: the expectation of a new Republican Congress,” he said in a statement, adding that it was “precisely the right time to advance a positive, pro-growth agenda.”

There's really no way Republicans can take credit for things like higher job growth and lower gas prices. Oh, sure, they'll try.

 

[greengate]

Here's what I'm wondering, when the GOP retakes the white house in 2016 and a year or two later later gas spikes to $8, will people say "hey, gas was $1.75 when Obama left office" ?

It appears they'll not only NOT credit the current president, but will expand their message to make it look like THEY in fact brought the price down.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/...merica-s-Good-Economy-To-Oooh-You-re-So-Close
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-brief...mcconnell-for-linking-gop-to-positive-economy

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has an explanation for the glut of good economic news that has broken in the last few weeks: People are excited about a Republican Congress.

“After so many years of sluggish growth, we’re finally starting to see some economic data that can provide a glimmer of hope; the uptick appears to coincide with the biggest political change of the Obama Administration’s long tenure in Washington: the expectation of a new Republican Congress,” he said in a statement, adding that it was “precisely the right time to advance a positive, pro-growth agenda.”

There's really no way Republicans can take credit for things like higher job growth and lower gas prices. Oh, sure, they'll try.

Let me summit up this way:

 

[epic]

$1.62 per gallon today in austin tx.1-15-15, At current dollar/infation adjusted figures This is cheaper then when Clinton was in office and gas went under $1 per gallon .

 

[MikeinDenver]

$1.62 per gallon today in austin tx.1-15-15, At current dollar/infation adjusted figures This is cheaper then when Clinton was in office and gas went under $1 per gallon .

Perfect time to increase the fuel tax.

 

[TomT]

And, adjusted for inflation, cheaper than it was in the 60s...

$1.62 per gallon today in austin tx.1-15-15, At current dollar/infation adjusted figures This is cheaper then when Clinton was in office and gas went under $1 per gallon .

 

[greengate]

Cheap gas.

What's with you people?

 

[Nubo]

As Elon Musk noted a couple of days ago, this means that electric vehicles must be made more compelling than gasoline vehicles.

 

[AndyH]

Compelling or not, the folks losing their oilfield jobs in Texas won't be buying BEVs anytime soon...

http://tpr.org/post/source-oil-industry-cuts-jobs-wary-state-waits-and-watches

San Antonio-based Lewis Energy Group announced Wednesday it will reportedly layoff 20 percent of its 1300 employees. The company claims to be the first player in the Eagle Ford shale, but that distinction can't change the economics of today's oil market. Houston-based Apache, another Eagle-Ford player, has announced it will cut 250 people, or 5 percent of its current workforce. Oil giant Halliburton has terminated an estimated 1,000 jobs already and may see further reductions.

 

[greengate]

Compelling or not, the folks losing their oilfield jobs in Texas won't be buying BEVs anytime soon...

http://tpr.org/post/source-oil-industry-cuts-jobs-wary-state-waits-and-watches

San Antonio-based Lewis Energy Group announced Wednesday it will reportedly layoff 20 percent of its 1300 employees. The company claims to be the first player in the Eagle Ford shale, but that distinction can't change the economics of today's oil market. Houston-based Apache, another Eagle-Ford player, has announced it will cut 250 people, or 5 percent of its current workforce. Oil giant Halliburton has terminated an estimated 1,000 jobs already and may see further reductions.

I'd much rather seeing them building and installing solar systems..especially in San Antonino where on average there are 220 days of sun a year.

Senator Cruz,

Are you listening?

 

[AndyH]

Compelling or not, the folks losing their oilfield jobs in Texas won't be buying BEVs anytime soon...

http://tpr.org/post/source-oil-industry-cuts-jobs-wary-state-waits-and-watches

San Antonio-based Lewis Energy Group announced Wednesday it will reportedly layoff 20 percent of its 1300 employees. The company claims to be the first player in the Eagle Ford shale, but that distinction can't change the economics of today's oil market. Houston-based Apache, another Eagle-Ford player, has announced it will cut 250 people, or 5 percent of its current workforce. Oil giant Halliburton has terminated an estimated 1,000 jobs already and may see further reductions.

I'd much rather seeing them building and installing solar systems..especially in San Antonino where on average there are 220 days of sun a year.

Senator Cruz,

Are you listening?

We are installing wind and solar generation. San Antonio also brought in a pair of PV manufacturers to supply locally-made panels for the municipal utility's PV projects.

Texas generates more wind power than any other state. Unfortunately, they use more electricity than a number of states combined and emit more carbon than many countries... But...Nobody's got time to wait for Cruz to get a clue...

The oil industry is such a huge part of this state's cash flow process, though, that people here are concerned about falling back into recession...

 

[mbender]

$1.62 per gallon today in austin tx.1-15-15, At current dollar/infation adjusted figures This is cheaper then when Clinton was in office and gas went under $1 per gallon .

Perfect time to increase the fuel tax.

Agreed. Or better (and stealthier) yet, perfect time to actually make it a tax -- i.e., a percentage of the retail price, as is the case with nearly every sales tax. So, rather than a flat fee of 18.4¢, just make it 8-10%, or whatever percent 18.4 is of the national average. Then sit back and watch the "road infrastructure" coffers fill up in the coming years when prices inevitably go up.

 

[TimLee]

... Or better (and stealthier) yet, perfect time to actually make it a tax -- i.e., a percentage of the retail price, as is the case with nearly every sales tax. So, rather than a flat fee of 18.4¢, just make it 8-10%, or whatever percent 18.4 is of the national average. Then sit back and watch the "road infrastructure" coffers fill up in the coming years when prices inevitably go up.

But that may not happen very soon.
Why don't we do the right thing for a change in the US and charge based on the damage done to the highways :?: :?:
Trucks do 90% of the damage and pay less than 10% of what is needed to maintain let alone improve the highways.
Why don't we fix that :?:

And it's not a tax.
It should be a fair fee for usage of the publically owned highways.

And it is not fair or reasonable that I have paid ZERO to maintain the highways while driving my LEAF 23,000 miles over the last 43 months :!:

 

[mbender]

Why don't we do the right thing for a change in the US and charge based on the damage done to the highways :?: :?:
Trucks do 90% of the damage and pay less than 10% of what is needed to maintain let alone improve the highways.

Reference on that assertion? I'm not denying it. I'm just curious, and suspicious.

And it's not a tax.

Then why does everyone keep calling it that?!

It should be a fair fee for usage of the publically owned highways.

What if someone never drives on the highways?

And it is not fair or reasonable that I have paid ZERO to maintain the highways while driving my LEAF 23,000 miles over the last 43 months :!:

No, it's not, but many things related to taxation (and life, and death) aren't. It's not fair that all the gassers (and dieselers) are polluting without paying for the many externalities. It's not fair that there is no carbon tax, that "First Worlders" burned coal and oil willy-nilly and now want the rest of the world to refrain from it, etc.

All of us could feel a bit guilty about escaping road taxes, er, fees, but I sure don't. Think of it as a bonus for being a pioneer, or for polluting less, or for not contributing to the trade deficit (or ____). Or, if your conscience really gets the best of you, figure out what would be appropriate and add that to your taxes! (Or donate to the presidential fund, or charity of your choosing, etc.)