+$4.00 Gasoline. How does it change the Energy game

by designs 89 Replies latest social current

  • Berengaria
    Berengaria

    Oh man! Wasn't that beautiful?? I've got some new ones that are just awesome!!

  • finally awake
    finally awake

    I can't speak to the economics of large scale solar power systems. I do know that when gas prices went up after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, our lifestyle changed a lot. We were driving a Ford F350 crew cab truck as a family vehicle - the gas mileage on that beast is about 12 miles a gallon on a good day. We stopped driving that truck unless absolutely necessary, and we severely curtailed all our driving. We eventually bought a much more fuel efficient vehicle for regular use, but we still limit our driving compared to our pre-2005 habits. That new vehicle is 18 months old now and still has only 13,000 miles. That means we average using about 30 gallons of gas per month. We really can't cut much more driving out, and we can't get anything any more fuel efficient that will seat all 5 of us. Since we don't really use a lot of gas, it has to go up a lot to be a major pinch. My job pays me mileage for driving my personal car to and from my job sites (and that's all I use my car for), so it doesn't factor into my budget. If I had to pay to commute to work, it would add up in a hurry.

  • Terry
    Terry

    Oil companies are a Cartel. They do as they please.

    Our country (USA) has a leader whose philosophy is progressive. President Obama wants gasoline prices as high as they can go. Why?

    He's green. It will force consumers and industry to knuckle under and insist on green energy style cars.

    Obama's efforts in proping up Solar energy speak to the efficacy of that industry. (Bankrupt.)

    Obama had stiffed the Pipeline and won't stand up for refinery distillation for DOMESTIC use instead of selling the considerable surplus to China.

    You can't have it both ways. If you are Green you pay the exhorbitant prices always.

    Green energy strategies are decades away from producing anything at all that begins to be productive as a solution.

    America is confused and ideology driven. They are permanently angry and often at the wrong people.

  • Celestial
    Celestial
    Oil companies are a Cartel. They do as they please.

    A multi-national Cartel. That's why I said, "The only solution for the United States is to nationalize their oil industry and gain exclusive control of enough geographic locations with oil resources to sustain their economy."

  • botchtowersociety
    botchtowersociety
    America is confused and ideology driven.

    Sometimes I think America is in a state of confusion. It feels like it is coming apart at the seams.

  • Berengaria
    Berengaria

    Terry, are you aware that we are exporting more refined product then ever before? That domestic oil is at an all time high? That European countries are having great success with wind and solar, because they have actually embraced it? That when ever we demand higher MPG standards the auto industry produces it?

    If we had given this subject the attention it deserved (and continues to deserve) 35 years ago when Carter tried to get it through our thick skulls, we might not be in such a precarious position.............

    Ultimately, to say that rising gas prices have anything to do with ANY American policies of the moment is to be ignorant indeed. Just ask our European friends.

  • Razziel
    Razziel

    Something like 80% of the world's oil reserves have already been nationalized. The commercial oil producers still have a lot of clout with the rest, but it's the sovereign oil producers that call the shots. Many of the nationalized companies don't respect intellectual property or patent law either. They'll take a product from a commercial company, send it off to the local machine shop, reverse-engineer it, and start making their own (often inferior) copies, and then shut out the commercial company altogether.

  • pbrow
    pbrow

    It would seem to me that nationalizing the oil industry would go against the principles that this country is founded on. I realize that it is being done in other industries, for example the gm takeover which I also do not feel should have been done. Drill here, use our own continents oil and continue experimenting with nat gas use which we have enormous amounts of.

    pbrow

  • Bungi Bill
    Bungi Bill

    The majority of those who post here seem to be either totally unaware - or else totally uninterested - that there are two different "gallons" in use:

    - The US gallon of 3.78 ltres

    - and the Imperial gallon of 4.54 litres.

    Having worked recently in a standards lab for four years, I at least am well aware of the difference.

    In this part of the world, "gasoline (i.e. "petrol", "motor spirit" or whatever) retails for AUD $ 1.50 per litre = AUD$ 5.67 per US gallon = USD $6.01 per US gallon.

    For those of you paying USD$ 4.00 per US gallon, my heart goes out to you (not!)

    Bill.

  • Celestial
    Celestial
    Something like 80% of the world's oil reserves have already been nationalized. The commercial oil producers still have a lot of clout with the rest, but it's the sovereign oil producers that call the shots. Many of the nationalized companies don't respect intellectual property or patent law either. They'll take a product from a commercial company, send it off to the local machine shop, reverse-engineer it, and start making their own (often inferior) copies, and then shut out the commercial company altogether.

    Where's the evidence that 80% of the world's oil reserves have already been nationalized? Middle eastern nations that have nationalized the resource? There are no intellectual property rights pertaining to oil. There may be innovative and technological strategies for unearthing the resource, but oil in itself is a basic commodity.

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit