froze

Actually the one of the reasons California gas prices are high is the fact they have one of the highest state tax on that gas they sell, in fact California pays 32 cents per gallon total for State taxes, only Hawaii and Nevada are higher (I live in Indiana and my state gas tax is 18 cents). Plus they also have to deal with the cost of oxgenated (MTBE) gas, as well as 35 other states. And now oil companies are having to pay for doing away with MTBE and clean up the mess MTBE made for our water supply. Problem is so far is there is no federal regulation yet ordering the oil companies to eliminate MTBE; on top of that, Congress is considering legislation to strictly limit oil company liability for contaminating groundwater in at least 35 states with the toxic gasoline additive MTBE because the government requested the oil companies add this stuff! So now the oil companies won't have to pay near the cost to "clean" our water! So guess how some of the cost is going to be paid? Water companies! That's why your water bills have been increasing.

If this oil problem escalates there will be a major problem far worse than high gasoline prices...have you all been thinking about why the United States is reconsidering the draft issue again for our military?

Chris L

Yes it is. Either that, or they're just really bad gamblers in that part of the world.

Dahon.Steve

I find people move to distant locations all the time and soon find themselves having to buy more cars and become auto dependant. My brother did that and now he and his wife are paying for two cars instead of owning their own home. A friend at work just had a baby and moved to a home far away in the burbs so now they have to buy two new cars. Needless to say, between the mortgage and two cars payments, he's burried in debt for the next thirty years!

Folks. If you're going to move to the middle of nowhere and become dependant on automobiles, you have my sincere condolences. All the money my friend saved in his new home out in the burbs will be spend financing, servicing and fueling his new autos.

I did just the opposite. I moved from an area with good transportation to a town with great public transportation. You have to make the decision on what is important when it comes to your transportation costs. Too often, most people choose auto transport as their choice. A pity.

My monthly transportation cost are $93.00 dollars per month. My brother spends that much in gas alone.

ruirui

uh.. no... OPEC is pumping out more than last year. all 5 refineries in cali is producing more gas then ever before. supply is decreasing? hardly... don't forget US still has alaska for crude oil as a last resort... not to mention the oil in iraq.

Dahon.Steve

[QUOTE=froze]Actually the one of the reasons California gas prices are high is the fact they have one of the highest state tax on that gas they sell, in fact California pays 32 cents per gallon total for State taxes, only Hawaii and Nevada are higher QUOTE]

California gas prices are so high because a motor centric state has many more costs than one with good rail transportation. California has massive highways that cost billions to construct and hundreds of millions to repair, police and clean. There is only one way to subsidize this massive never ending road construction in California it's through gas taxes. Plain and Simple.

Here's a idea. Why not find a job that's several bocks away from the rail road? Then find a place to live that's further down the line. This way, you can take the train to work and back home!

HEY... That's what I did and it worked for me!

Dahon.Steve

The correct answer is that supply is decreasing but we are pumping more than ever before. Alaska will also run out within this century. As for Iraq, it's been noted that these folks have less oil than once thought. In fact, the reason why we are not taking the oil from them is because if we do, they wouldn't have any for themselves after the war.

Jaquub

Here in Finland the gas costs 4,5 euros per gallon (1,2 euros per liter), which would be about 5$? Just be happy (or sad) with your cheap blood oil. Actually, what makes the gas here expensive is the 40 % tax. Which is just right for the car commuters.

cyclist2

yes/ its a bit like putting on a bet and not knowing what your realy going to get for your money.

cyclezealot

Question...U.S.gas has been skyrocketing.. It is mostly credited to the price of crude...Has gas prices been skyrocketing as much in Europe? Probably in the last six months price per gallon has gone up .45 cents. Everything else is going up correspondendly. Milk over $4 gallon.
The price of crude should effect the whole world as much as here.?
Yes, but it is predicted our gas will be $3 gallon before years' end.
From what I have seen of Europe, that 40% gas tax gets most of Europe alternative transportation. Buses, trams, subways.?
We will be paying 60% of what you pay and no similiar transportation services.

Jaquub

Sorry...I actually checked(!) our gas tax, which is of course 70 %, not the ridiculous 40 per cent. The gas price has been rising (due to the crude oil price), the more accurate price is 5,3 $/gallon. Preciously the magic line used to be one euro per liter, but that´s been crossed a couple of years ago.

Some finnish people were interviewed yesterday in the news about the gas price, and they said that it´s not something they stop buying, if it gets more expensive.
Just like tobacco or drugs

Actually I understand people, who live in the middle of nowhere and have to drive like over 50 km to work; that´s understandable. But people, who live in 10-20 km range of their works (which actually most people here live), could easily use mass transit or a bike. It´s just laziness or an attitude problem. We have quite a good mass transit system and good bike paths, so it can´t depend on that, either. Maybe it´s our cold and dark winter..?

chadlewis76

If you reread my post:

"but some experts are saying that hybrid cars will out number stricly gas powered cars within the next five years. Hydrogen and purely electric cars are expected to be mainstream in ten."

...you'll see that I'm not disagreeing with you. I said hybrid cars in the next 5 years, meaning as they become more efficient. Electric and hydrogen cars IN 10 YEARS, as they become more efficient. If they were feasible alternatives right now, we'd already be using them.

Be it hydrogen, electric or something else, there WILL be a replacement for gas powered cars sometime in the future. People aren't going to give up motorized transportation anytime soon.

Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see more people riding self-powered vehicles, but I just don't see it happening. People are lazier now than they've ever been, and it's only going to get worse before it gets better.

PaulH

Not sure whether it would mean the end of automotive culture, or an improvement in it. I just got back from the south of France, where gas is about $5 a gallon. We rented a Fiat Punto. This lis a neat little car -- about 1800 pounds, with a 60 hp, 1200 cc engine and a five speed manual.

It was as almost as much fun to drive as the sports cars of 40 years ago! In fact, acceleration, braking, and handling were nearly identical to my 1965 Triumph Spitfire.

Conclusion: motoring might actually improve if gas went to $5/gallon. We might even see proper sports cars again, for the first time in 30-40 years.

Paul

hotwheels

As far as California is concerned I like some of UCAN's suggestions for my part of the state.
https://www.ucan.org/press/Governorgas5-10-4.html

Merriwether

Oil conspiracy thread!

As most of you know, oil prices fluctuate regularly for reasons unrelated to the total global supply of usable oil. That's what's happening now.

More serious is the question of political stability in Saudi Arabia. If some anti-Western government comes to power, and threatens to cut off oil, then prices will rise considerably. What to do about that is another topic.

What is unlikely to happen, however high the price of light crude oil becomes, is that "automotive culture" comes to an end. There are other plenty of other sources of gasoline than light crude oil. It's possible to make oil from coal, tar sands, oil shale, and other sources. These are all more expensive sources of gasoline than light crude oil, but if the price of light crude becomes high enough, and remains high, other sources will become profitable. Driving may be more expensive in the future, but demand for driving is fairly inelastic relative to the price of gasoline. So, no one alive is likely to see the end of "automotive culture".

Dahon.Steve

I happen to think the cost of extracting and transporting coal from the earth will make hydrogen more expensive than gasoline. When you think about it, the home of the future will be electric from top to bottom when oil and natural gas expire. Can you imagine what your monthly electic bill will be when your washing machine, stove, heater/furnace, lights and car are ALL drawing electricity from your home?? Talk about an expensive lifestyle! You going to need a second or third job just to pay off your utility bills!

To be honest, I think the whole concept of an electric car is dead. If you have to plug the thing in and wait 10 hours for the batteries to charge it will never work. We'll go back to steam engines before you see people driving a golf cart size electric cars. Make no doubt about it. Hydrogen and electric power are the replacement and we will be burning tons of coal each day to generate this "fuel" of the future. Cars will use hydrogen and your home will be all electric. The questions remains, will you be able to afford the hydrogen after paying off your electric bill?

Dahon.Steve

Agreed. I read a source that stated we would have to dig a massive amount of earth the size of the state of Delaware each year to extract oil from shale and tar sands. If this is the case, it's clearly a dead end.

Chuckie J.

Perhaps the American English equivalent of a "chump"?

Chuckie

(I love using the word "chump" and can't wait to call someone a "punter" one day!)

LittleBigMan

Biking as much as possible instead of driving makes perfect sense to me. Much more freedom.

BeTheChange

I was thinking of a way to put it into words, but you did it for me. Thanks.

cyclist2

I havnt heard of "chump" is that short for come in sucker?

ktambascio

I think we have to invest in ways to research how to make nuclear power as safe as possible. Fusion and Fission reactors over time could make electricity cheap enough to power just about everything, as the potential energy in those sources is so massive. It would make oil almost worthless if a safe, viable nuclear plants could be built.

RainmanP

My commute is 22 miles round trip - 9 in, 13 home. I consider it just about perfect commuting distance - just enough to be a little workout in a reasonable time but not enough to be tiring or too time consuming.

cerewa

"chump: a stupid or foolish person, a dolt"
--dictionary.com

Chris L

The issue, as always, is one of funding. With a little research, solar and wind power could also be utilised to a much greater extent than they currently are. Unfortunately, various governments seem more interested in continuing to subsidise existing methods rather than investing in new technology.

cycletourist

That is because most governments are funded (and often bribed) by those who make billions from the status quo.