The GAS WAR

[one-eyed-fatman]

Originally Posted by einheit 13

what the rest rode horses???....

Damn E13 don't get him started on horses now!

[Brickboy240]

Several factors at work here, cause the high gas prices.

First, we have not built any new refineries in the USA since the 1970s. Why? Well, we just keep re-furbing ones we already have, because due to environmental laws today, it is outrageously expensive and time consuming for big oil to build new ones. Older refineries are grandfathered by legislation against newer, more restrictive and expensive environmental laws, so its loads cheaper to re-furb the older plants and nobody builds new ones. Also, due to environmental laws today, there are very few places we CAN build a new one, even if we wanted to.

Solution? Lift the restrictions enough, so it is economically feasable for big oil to build new refineries. Also, we need to have more choices in where we can build new refineries.

Second, there are over 43 different formulations of unleaded gasoline in the USA. Some have MTBE, some ehtanol...whatever. Different octane ratings, too. This huge array of specialized mixes slows down the refineries, because they have to produce several flavors. Dallas has a different gasoline formulation than Houston...why?

Solution? One to five different formulations from coast to coast and thats that. Gasoline will be formulated and refined faster, drastically reducing shortages that cause price spikes.

Third, due to restrictions since the 1970s, we cannot drill offshore, for oil in the USA, except for a few places on the Gulf coast. The number of places in the continental USA where they can drill for oil is MUCH smaller than in 1975.

Solution? Open up more places to offshore drilling. Sure, we need to be careful and not mess up the environment, but tanking it from the mid-east is also a possible hazard to the environment. Drilling in the USA means WE can have more control over supplies and further decrease these "shortages" that conveninetly come up at peak driving season and chooke the comsumer every year.

Fourth, taxes levied by the govt. on unleaded gasoline are too high. Over a third of the cost of a gallon of gas is tacked on by an entity that does not drill, tank, explore for or refine oil. Why is this so? Govt. screams at the executives of big oil companies for screwing the consumer, but never considers lowering the tax on gasoline to help said cosumer.

Solution? Lower the gas tax in times of extreme spikes to help the consumers out.

Fifth, (and this is the obvious one) we have become more ad more dependent on foreign oil since the 1970s and due to other restrictions and this long dependency, they have more control over oil prices than we do and foreign govts. are causing these shortages, by purposely slowing production in peak driving months.

Solution? Well, the htings I mentioned above will help get US in control of the oil supply and then we WILL KNOW who to hold accountable if the spikes in prices continue. Big oil knows damn well that driving peaks in the summer...if we control more of the drilling, refining and supply line...WE can hold the industry more accountable for bad actions.

This is how I see it. Sure, there ARE other factors, like wars, natural disasters and political events that cause spikes, but the above items are 90% of the problem.

The ony other alternative we have is one we're only inching towards and thats alternative fuels. Still, other than a few hybrids and a few fringe people using biodiesel, theres still no big puch by anybody for alternavite fuels and you know damn well that big oil (who has deeper pockets than God) will fight these things or produce them itself and make it just as expensive as gasloine.

Another choice...and everyone forgets this..is that you don't HAVE to drive gas guzzling vehicles. If you're sick of paying more for gas, you CAN put a stop to it today, by getting out of that behemoth Suburban or Expedition that only hauls your lazy butt to work and back. Right?

These, as I see it, are our choices. You greenies cannot expect to continue to tighten the noose on big oil and the price of gas at the pump stays the same...it does not work this way. Your restrictions, taxes, capital gains taxes will be passed right on to...guess who...yep...the comsumer!

(now...why are you STILL driving that SUV?)

- Brickboy240

[beardman2]

I couldn't agree more brickboy. hybrids are neat technology. I especially dog things like dodges new system that switches of 4 cylinders when not in use. Honda has a sweet hybrid that produces more power than the 6 cyl version alone.

I personally really like the hydraulic "hybrid" technology that they are working on for larger trucks.

Combine some of this technology and we can have some wicked vehicles.

Ethanol is pretty intriguing. I wonder what it would be like if all that farmland the government pays to sit idle was suddenly put to use in this manner. Hell let big oil form a co-op or whatever for that farmland to be leased or whatever give the land owners some cash and let big oil jump into a new field.

Totally off topic but it always amazes me how much farm land is being bulldozed for more building around here. Don't these people realize your gonna run out of places to grow eventually?

[mgeoffriau]

Getting slightly more off topic, but since hybrids and alternative fuels have been brought up, I thought it'd be pertinent to say that currently the problem with alternative fuels is that the processing of these fuels, that is, making them ready for consumption in vehicles, involves the use of more fossil fuel than if you just ran that same vehicle on gas.

So while we should continue to explore these technologies, it's unrealistic to expect an alternative-fuel vehicle boom anytime soon; in fact, it would be detrimental, wasting precious fossil fuels to produce less efficient fuels.

[beardman2]

I don't think thats the case for biodiesel or e85 but I'm no expert.

[one-eyed-fatman]

They have already done a test between the Camry hybrid and the regular Camry. Total fuel savings of the hybrid over the reg Camera? $86.00 a year. Hardly worth it considering the diff in price of the two cars.

[einheit 13]

Originally Posted by beardman2

I don't think thats the case for biodiesel or e85 but I'm no expert.

Biodesiel can be made at home by anyone.......

[one-eyed-fatman]

Originally Posted by einheit 13

Biodesiel can be made at home by anyone.......

Which means the government will outlaw it.

[einheit 13]

Originally Posted by one-eyed-fatman

Which means the government will outlaw it.

halleelooya, now pass the ammo......

[CyberOtaku]

I don't see hybrids as remaining persistant, it is a simple matter of Occam's Razor. Hydrogen is the most likely future powerplant at this point if they can reduce the costs of storage and production.