did the oil run out! what's with the gas prices? Greed or what? hear anything?

Heard something about several refineries being down on the news.

Thanks for the info Dale, much appreciated.  I'm always interested in the concept house designs you see where they attempt more self-sustainable energy production that can meet electricity needs plus possibly generate hydrogen for a fuel cell vehicle, but would like to learn more about realities and pros/cons of these designs.

I've worked for Shell for 37 yrs (ugh!).  First off I am not pro oil.  But there are some realities about alternate fuel sources for internal combustion vehicles and their direct replacements.

Cost is always the deciding factor for really "making a difference" in any major system. (Except maybe here in Cali.)   Anyway my point here is that so far to my knowledge there are no transportation fuels that even come close to gasoline/diesel/NG in $/mile. Hybrid technology is pretty close but the upfront cost is significant.  All other viable liquid  (biofuels) are more costly or are only available in insignificant volumes.

I gotta run or I'd just keep going but there are a couple more points I'll make.

The volume of liquid transportation fuels that are required globally makes alternate fuels a really insignificant attempt at lowering fuel cost (even if they were less costly).

Second is the fallacy that increasing US oil production will somehow lower gas prices.  Oil is priced and sold (shipped) on a global market.  If a US company produces oil domestically it will be sold in the US or shipped overseas to the highest bidder.  In reality were not shipping oil overseas so US production keeps us from importing more, but doesn't affect the price.  US oil companies sell their domestic crude at market prices inside or outside the US.  They are businesses after all.

Increasing domestic natural gas production DOES however lower our PGE bills because as yet there's no easy way to ship NG out of the US.

Hydrogen production at the moment always involves breaking apart a molecule that contains hydrogen, like water or a hydrocarbon.  But you need to break apart that molecule in a way that allows you to collect the hydrogen.  This is a very energy intensive process and so it's costly no matter how you do it.
 
To me the real and only key to reducing fuel costs (or at least slow the rise) is conservation and efficiency.  Simply put more people need to drive Civics like my girlfriend instead of pickups like me.

Gotta run and if peeps want to shoot holes in my opinions go for it there's always other points of view. I'll be offline for a few days and won't be able to respond.

I realize that none of what I put out here touches on longterm sustainability or global warming, just cost and current realities.  There is a gazillion dollars being pumped into alternate fuels reasearch much of it by the oil companies, but I believe it will still be years before it produces any meaniful results.

To me the real and only key to reducing fuel costs (or at least slow the rise) is conservation and efficiency.  Simply put more people need to drive Civics like my girlfriend instead of pickups like me.

I realize that none of what I put out here touches on longterm sustainability or global warming, just cost and current realities.  There is a gazillion dollars being pumped into alternate fuels reasearch much of it by the oil companies, but I believe it will still be years before it produces any meaniful results.

Good reality check Dale L!

Thanks Dale for sharing your viewpoints.  I drive an older civic with a rack, and love it, only thing I wish it had was 4 wheel lol.

 

  Somebody farted, Ooops fuel prices go up!

My brother is working in Williston North Dakota for the past 7 months and its a gold rush up there as far as money and oil. He said there is 200 years reserve there and they just found another reserve just south of it that may be larger. Mac Donald's are paying if they can even get someone to stay $20.00 an hour. Motels are booked solid at $150.00+ a night, Farmers are charging $1200.00 to $1500.00 for a place to put a tow trailer on a bare lot with no hook ups.  He said its Hog wash on the oil issue and that China buys allot of it at subsidized government rates for there industry's?  Cheap goods sent back to  us that way? If I were a young man I would leave this state and go to work there. He made $250.000 in 7 months. His Son at 21 made $80.000 in that time doing grunt work. We are the Puppets on the strings for sure.

I don't know why, but all this drama in the gas economy reminds me of ENRON.

When I ponder the continually-rising price of gas, I am reminded of something Steve Young said about the NFL ref lockout: "There is an inelastic demand for this stuff. There's nothing the owners can do to hurt demand for the game. ...because in the end, you're still going to watch the game, we're all going to complain and moan and say there's all kinds of problems--yet we continue watching."

The zombies are coming!

The zombies are coming!

Good thing we're heading North...and carpooling!!!

 

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Just paid $4.61 for regular in Blackhawk.

The zombies are here!  They look like me and you and they drive trucks with V8's and V10's. aaahhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrggggg

Just paid $4.61 for regular in Blackhawk.

yeah but in Blackhawk its a full service station!

i dont look at the prices = i just pump & leave.....why get pissed at something that is not in your control? 
just like taxes = i just pay them and be proud to be a poor american