Refinery Fire Could Boost Gas Prices Nationwide

[Purveyor]

Source: USA Today

Motorists in West Coast states are about to see a big spike in gas prices, the fallout from a fire that cut production at one of the region's largest oil refineries.

Gasoline prices, now averaging $3.87 a gallon in California, $3.72 in Washington and $3.69 in Oregon, are expected to spike to $4.15 to $4.25 a gallon over the next week to 10 days following Monday's partial shutdown of a Chevron refinery in Richmond, Calif.

Nationally, gasoline prices have climbed 27 cents a gallon in the past month. While the refinery fire will drive prices along the West Coast, it will also lift the national average above year-ago levels.

"August looks like a very touch-and-go month for the entire country," says OPIS analyst Tom Kloza, who expects price relief after Labor Day. For the year to date, gasoline has averaged $3.61 a gallon — 10 cents more than the average for all 2011, the most expensive year ever, he says.

Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2012-08-08/refinery-gas-prices/56875468/1

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Mid-Michigan prices spiked well before this fire with un/reg selling for 3.89-3.99g

[Lint Head]

1. Any excuse for Big Oil to gouge they will.

[wordpix]

2. I was just about to post, "Any excuse to gouge will do"

[Purveyor]

3. If they can, they will have gasoline at $5+ a gallon by election day. eom

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

5. Yes, and somehow it will be Obama's fault

Just like the shooting at that sheik temple.

[sofa king]

13. They tried, and got busted for it.

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-04-19/why-obamas-crackdown-on-oil-speculators-wont-work

Of course, who would believe a business publication in this day and age? The crackdown stabilized prices for four months.

So now, the oil-Republicans are back to the Katrina strategy of claiming their refineries are down. During Katrina, virtually every oil refinery on the Gulf Coast shut down and claimed damage, while not one chemical plant of any other type had a failure beyond loss of power and lack of deliveries. Some of the damaged refineries were next door to the undamaged chemical plants; one I read about had a watertight door to the outside "accidentally" opened after the water was eighteen inches above ground outside, which would have required two people and a forklift to "accidentally" achieve.

Expect to see more "accidents" like these in the next six weeks. Gasoline has to hit $5 a gallon for Romney to dig out of the landslide in which he is already waist deep.

But that won't work either, and if we can show they colluded and deliberately caused their refineries to fail, we'll have the power to run every last one of them down this time.

[Andy823]

4. I agree.

Prices around here were already on the way up before the fire, and we all know that Labor day is coming up, and prices "always" go up in August at the pumps!

No matter what the prices were going to go up. This is the last chance for the oil companies and wall street to make some big bucks before the election, and they are going for it. I think they all see the writing on the wall, the Romney is toast, so they want to make sure they increase their profits just in case the republicans also lose the House and can longer protect them from rules such as tougher regulations on speculators.

[Lint Head]

12. I think you have hit the proverbial nail on the proverbial head.

[lunatica]

6. Are they claiming it's the customers' fault they had a fire?

Because it's probably their fucking fault for cutting corners in their panting pursuit of the best profit. They must be salivating like damn rabid dogs just thinking how they can just stick it to us to pay their bills too.

Jesus! They are fucking criminals.

[hobbit709]

7. could hell. Prices have gone up here about 12 cents in the last couple of days alone.

[maindawg]

8. on the flipside

higher cost will mean less demand. It means the volt will sell better, thus GM will do better.It means that interest in renewable energy will increase. In case you havent noticed, we are killing the planet with fossil fuel and coal burning power plants. If it takes 10 dollar gas to wake up the masses and force them to accept what we already have known for 35 years , so be it.
I watched that scumbag Reagon dismantle our solar energy industry 30 years ago, and I knew what it would lead to. I also knew that he would die, and we could resume our quest for clean air, clean water , I just hope its not too late.

[penndragon69]

9. $3.87 a gallon!

Gee, i live in Indiana and gas is resting at $3.98 a gallon already !

All this because of (supposedly) some pipeline and refinery problems
in Illinois. I'm glade i'm paying the same as California drivers !!

But hey, it's all Obama's fault, with a little help from President
AL GORE.

[SemperEadem]

10. it's that time of the year--time for a refinery fire

seems it happens about this time in the year... and the prices go up as a result of one. refinery. fire.

Gas in DC is selling for 4.20.

[RebelOne]

11. Well, I can laugh in those SOBs' faces.

I have been retired since 2010 and only drive about 2 miles a day. So I fill up about once every couple of months.

But when I was working, I had to drive about 30 miles round trip a day, and that did not include shopping trips on the weekends.

[AlphaCentauri]

14. once again the consumer subsidizing the infrastructure

of private corporations

[Comrade Grumpy]

15. Wow, up 20 cents in two days! Now paying 3.97 at Rotten Robbie's in Sebastopol.

[truthisfreedom]

16. We do this to ourselves, for not driving electric cars.

[NickB79]

17. Ethanol prices are also driving up the cost of gas at the pump

Ethanol prices are shooting up now that corn is at record-high prices per bushel.