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#1 2004-06-02 15:32:59

Palomar
Member
From: USA
Registered: 2002-05-30
Posts: 9,734

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=s … soline]Ian Wheatley asks an interesting question

*This much for a gallon over there, huh?  yikes 

What are folks here paying for a gallon (or liter...or whatever) of gas/petrol in your nation/region of the U.S.?

Average here (New Mexico) is $1.93 for regular unleaded; $2.03 for super; $2.13 for supreme.

--Cindy


We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...

--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)

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#2 2004-06-02 15:41:30

Euler
Member
From: Corvallis, OR
Registered: 2003-02-06
Posts: 922

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Here in Corvallis, OR, the gas stations are charging $2.35 for regular, $2.55 for supreme.  That is pretty high, but I think that it is even more expensive in San Diego.

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#3 2004-06-02 15:47:14

Josh Cryer
Moderator
Registered: 2001-09-29
Posts: 3,830

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

OR doesn't have self serve, though, so you wind up paying a bit more. I've been driving my motorcycle, it's been saving on gas muchly. Only thing is when it rains, though (which admittedly isn't very often in LA).

Los Angeles has gas around 2.20-2.25 (lowest price, mind you, it can jump to 2.50), Alabama (where my mom lives) has gas around 1.90-195.


Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
--------
The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.

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#4 2004-06-02 16:05:44

Euler
Member
From: Corvallis, OR
Registered: 2003-02-06
Posts: 922

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

OR doesn't have self serve, though, so you wind up paying a bit more.

That does raise the price a little, but I visit some relatives in San Diego a few times per year, and usually the price is higher there.  Last time I was there I saw a local news story saying how they had the highest prices in the nation.

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#5 2004-06-02 16:15:56

Cobra Commander
Member
From: The outskirts of Detroit.
Registered: 2002-04-09
Posts: 3,039

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

$2.08 this morning. Where's all that Iraqi oil we're supposed to be stealing!  big_smile


Build a man a fire and he's warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.

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#6 2004-06-02 16:19:38

REB
Banned
From: Houston, Texas
Registered: 2004-04-07
Posts: 555
Website

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Here in Houston I have seen it as low as 1.86 in a few places. The average is around 1.89/1.90. I guess we are on the low side, but we should be. Heck, we make the stuff here so they don't have far to transport it smile


"Run for it? Running's not a plan! Running's what you do, once a plan fails!"  -Earl Bassett

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#7 2004-06-02 16:22:42

Josh Cryer
Moderator
Registered: 2001-09-29
Posts: 3,830

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Euler, when someone told me OR didn't have self serve, I didn't believe them! Until a few years ago I drove through there, and actually had someone pump my gas, it was a very bizarre experience. I'm an ardent advocate of self serve, people ought to be able to pump their own gas!

And Cobra, good damn question. tongue I read that one motivation for Bush and Iraq was that the oil prices would fall, causing billions of virtual dollars to be put back into the US economy. Hasn't happened yet, though (hey, let's not let this get off topic, of course! we can't take all of Cindy's posts off topic!).


Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
--------
The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.

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#8 2004-06-03 00:18:16

Trebuchet
Banned
From: Florida
Registered: 2004-04-26
Posts: 419

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Gas is generally about $1.98 here, but there's one renegade station that is priced at $1.93.

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#9 2004-06-03 03:00:40

DonPanic
Member
From: Paris in Astrolia
Registered: 2004-02-13
Posts: 595
Website

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

LO
Can anyone tell me if electricity prices follow gazoline price rise ?
In France, thanks to nuclear power plants, electricity price still didn'nt move

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#10 2004-06-03 03:14:39

Trebuchet
Banned
From: Florida
Registered: 2004-04-26
Posts: 419

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Our often freaky environmentalists get hot and bothered every time someone mentions nuclear power. It's a sore spot with me.

Nevertheless, electricity prices haven't gone up for me.

BTW, alligators in FL love nuclear power plants, and tend to congregate near them because of the warm water.

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#11 2004-06-03 05:04:45

DonPanic
Member
From: Paris in Astrolia
Registered: 2004-02-13
Posts: 595
Website

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

LO
Thanks for information.
We have so heavy oil taxes (80%) that your oil prices would be very cheap applied here.
Our environmentalists whish an oil crisis to force renewable energy sources fundings.
General opinion in France is that nuke plants do not play role in greenhouse effect, we fear more climate warming than radioactivity rate.

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#12 2004-06-03 05:04:49

Alt2War
Member
Registered: 2003-10-19
Posts: 164

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

US gets most of it's power from coal.

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#13 2004-06-03 16:47:46

Trebuchet
Banned
From: Florida
Registered: 2004-04-26
Posts: 419

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Which ironically is more radioactive than the nuclear power plants, believe it or not.

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#14 2004-06-03 17:14:55

Euler
Member
From: Corvallis, OR
Registered: 2003-02-06
Posts: 922

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

US Electrical Power Generation:
Coal-           50%
Nuclear-       20%
Natural Gas-  18%
Hydroelectric- 7%
Oil-               2%
Biomass-        1.5%
Geothermal-     .35%
Wind-             .27%
Solar-            .015%

Which ironically is more radioactive than the nuclear power plants, believe it or not.

I know that coal is more destructive to the environment than nuclear, but are you sure that it is actually more radioactive?

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#15 2004-06-03 17:33:08

Ian Flint
Member
From: Colorado
Registered: 2003-09-24
Posts: 437

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

I know that coal is more destructive to the environment than nuclear, but are you sure that it is actually more radioactive?

I just did a quick google search and found this:

http://www.jamesphogan.com/bb/content/0 … 0700.shtml

I didn't read the related link but it looks like coal burning does indeed release more radioactivity than nuclear power plants.

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#16 2004-06-03 17:57:36

Alt2War
Member
Registered: 2003-10-19
Posts: 164

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

US Electrical Power Generation:
Coal-           50%
Nuclear-       20%
Natural Gas-  18%
Hydroelectric- 7%
Oil-               2%
Biomass-        1.5%
Geothermal-     .35%
Wind-             .27%
Solar-            .015%

Which ironically is more radioactive than the nuclear power plants, believe it or not.

I know that coal is more destructive to the environment than nuclear, but are you sure that it is actually more radioactive?

Depends on how you look at it, but if your asking which one puts more radiation into the air and water while operating exactly as it should be, then coal beats Nuke power hands down.

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#17 2004-06-03 18:28:46

Alt2War
Member
Registered: 2003-10-19
Posts: 164

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Fun Fact of the Day:

All oil producing countries excpet Saudi Arabia are currently producing at their max capacity.

Saudi Arabia has about 2 Million Barrells a day left of capacity.

World Oil consumption has been increasing at about 2 Million barrells a day a year.

So... about this time next year oil production will have plateaued... while demand keeps rising!

What does that mean kids?

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#18 2004-06-03 19:10:00

Euler
Member
From: Corvallis, OR
Registered: 2003-02-06
Posts: 922

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

I have heard predictions (from 2-3 months ago) that world oil production will peak this year.  Could mean that prices will continue to rise.

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#19 2004-06-03 19:24:45

Trebuchet
Banned
From: Florida
Registered: 2004-04-26
Posts: 419

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Yeah, like the link says, coal burning is, from the perspective of the consumer, who sees only the kilowatts produced and pollution released, the same as a wildly inefficient nuclear plant.

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#20 2004-06-03 19:37:28

Alt2War
Member
Registered: 2003-10-19
Posts: 164

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

I have heard predictions (from 2-3 months ago) that world oil production will peak this year.  Could mean that prices will continue to rise.

It could mean the end of western civilization, if we dont get off our arses.

US Agriculture is based on Oil.
Our suburban culture.
Our Wal Mart Economies.
Online Shopping.
Our Military.


If the price of Oil rises to $200 a barrel, we will need to tear down suburbs and replace them with farms.  We will need smaller farms with less machinery and more human labor. The cost of shipping food 1000s of miles will be more than the total cost of producing it.

Suburbs themselves will be economicly unfiesable in their current state.

The whole american process of turning Oil into Corn into Coca-Cola and Taco-Bell will be over.

No less than our way of life depends entirely on cheap and everflowing Oil.

In the years where Oil Production hit it's peak, a popular uprising in Saudi Arabia could break the economy of nations.

Doom and Gloom, Doom and Gloom i say!

We really have absolutely no choice whatsoever but to engage in a Apollo style project to bring america into a Nuke-Hydrogen economy.

The time between the peak and the terminal decline of Oil is predicted to be between 10 - 25 years.

That may not be enough time to switch our entire infrastructure.

The rate at which market pressures will force OIL to rise once we hit the peak, compared to our absolute and total dependace on cheap oil would make one worry that natural market pressure will not move us into a transition fast enough.

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#21 2004-06-03 20:17:24

PurduesUSAFguy
Banned
From: Purdue University
Registered: 2004-04-04
Posts: 237

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

I have heard predictions (from 2-3 months ago) that world oil production will peak this year.  Could mean that prices will continue to rise.

It could mean the end of western civilization, if we dont get off our arses.

US Agriculture is based on Oil.
Our suburban culture.
Our Wal Mart Economies.
Online Shopping.
Our Military.


If the price of Oil rises to $200 a barrel, we will need to tear down suburbs and replace them with farms.  We will need smaller farms with less machinery and more human labor. The cost of shipping food 1000s of miles will be more than the total cost of producing it.

Suburbs themselves will be economicly unfiesable in their current state.

The whole american process of turning Oil into Corn into Coca-Cola and Taco-Bell will be over.

No less than our way of life depends entirely on cheap and everflowing Oil.

In the years where Oil Production hit it's peak, a popular uprising in Saudi Arabia could break the economy of nations.

Doom and Gloom, Doom and Gloom i say!

We really have absolutely no choice whatsoever but to engage in a Apollo style project to bring america into a Nuke-Hydrogen economy.

The time between the peak and the terminal decline of Oil is predicted to be between 10 - 25 years.

That may not be enough time to switch our entire infrastructure.

The rate at which market pressures will force OIL to rise once we hit the peak, compared to our absolute and total dependace on cheap oil would make one worry that natural market pressure will not move us into a transition fast enough.

The thing with the current oil situation is a 'perfect storm' of events happened all at once to drive the price up.

A.) The whole sale price spiked as nearly a 1/4th of refining capacity was down for mainance. This is worsened by the fact that we havn't built any new refineries in this country since the 70s! (thank you EPA)

B.) The price spike was artifically heightened by the fact that it occured during the transfer to summer gas formulations which further cut into the refined oil supply. The fact that this country has over a dozen gas formulations per region even further drives up costs since gas from one region is not saleable as a comodity in the rest of the country. (again, thank you EPA)

C.) There is alot of oil left to be had, and outside of the Arabian penisula. Siberia has huge basically untapped oil reserves that once brought online will bring oil costs down, and will help break the strangle hold the anti-american nations of OPEC have on our economy. If we could get the green light from our friends in the EPA (see a trend yet) there are also huge reserves of oil off the California Coast and the Gulf of Mexico.

I hardly think that this situation will bring about the end of the western way of life since oil prices should finally stablize and start to fall again after summer, and become significantly become devalues when the Siberian oil supply comes online and OPEC looses it's price setting ability, althought this does undermine the disturbing fact that our economy is dependent on a foreign resource which is a horrible situation from both a security stand point, both economically and militarily. We need to

A.) Get past the prohibition of new nuclear power plants in this country. In the near term this is the most economically and enviromentally viable option. Nuclear power plants are clean, and they are cheap and they are avalible now. They are also the most logical starting point for hydrogen refineries.

B.) Offer large incentives and tax breaks for laying hydrogen pipelines and stations as well as fuel cell and hydrogen powered cars. (such as the Mazda RX-8 hydrogen)

C.) Invest a significant ammount in Fusion research in this country

D.) Invest a significant ammount in hydrogen storage.

I don't buy this as an enviromental issue at all, since all the data I've seen is completely insubstantial on global warming, but I am adimant that our country needs to become energy independent. It will strengthen us both economically and militarily.

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#22 2004-06-03 20:18:19

PurduesUSAFguy
Banned
From: Purdue University
Registered: 2004-04-04
Posts: 237

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

ps, $1.93 here at Purdue

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#23 2004-06-03 20:33:45

Euler
Member
From: Corvallis, OR
Registered: 2003-02-06
Posts: 922

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Doom and Gloom, Doom and Gloom i say!

It is not that bad.  It will be a major inconvenience, and it will hurt the economy some, but it is hardly the end of the world.  We will conserve, switch to electric (probably fuel cell) cars, build more power plants, etc.  So it is an annoyance, but not Doom and Gloom.

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#24 2004-06-03 20:59:54

Josh Cryer
Moderator
Registered: 2001-09-29
Posts: 3,830

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

Check out my sig. smile

I expect bio-gasoline to become popular in the coming years. There are already projects which are taking corn tailings and turning them into bio-fuels to replace (a precentage, like 5% of) gasoline on the streets. Indeed, if I recall correctly, the DoE was talking about how bio-fuels are going to be necessary if we're ever going to sustain ourselves in the short term economically. I can find the paper if you want.

Waste fuel, it's the way of the future. smile


edit: the cheapest gas I've ever seen was for 69 cents, when I was up in Chicago, and it was like at stations near a refinery. smile

I don't recall how cheap it was back in the 80's when I was growing up, though, it may have been cheaper.



Edited By Josh Cryer on 1086318113


Some useful links while MER are active. [url=http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.html]Offical site[/url] [url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Web.html]NASA TV[/url] [url=http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/]JPL MER2004[/url] [url=http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/mera/statustextonly.html]Text feed[/url]
--------
The amount of solar radiation reaching the surface of the earth totals some 3.9 million exajoules a year.

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#25 2004-06-04 04:40:52

DonPanic
Member
From: Paris in Astrolia
Registered: 2004-02-13
Posts: 595
Website

Re: Gasoline/Petrol Prices

LO
Using oil for energy will be regarded as the supreme waste,
when it will become a precious raw mater for plastics industry

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