$4/Gallon Gas Is Here

[cboy4]

You're doing a heck of a job Bush. :puke:

S.F. on verge of $4-per-gallon gas

David R. Baker,Michael Cabanatuan, Chronicle Staff Writers
Friday, April 18, 2008

The age of $4 gasoline has arrived. And it's forcing Bay Area residents to change the way they live.

Sometime in the coming week, San Francisco is expected to become America's first major city to pay an average of $4 for a gallon of regular gas. The citywide average, tracked by the AAA auto club, stood at $3.96 on Thursday.

It's the latest milestone in a four-year run-up at the pump, fueled by crude oil prices that have climbed to their highest levels ever.

When gas prices began their current climb in early 2004, the run-up looked more like a nuisance than anything else, costing commuters an extra $5 to $10 per week. Now, the amount drivers pay to fill up has doubled, and it's enough to hurt.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/04/17/MNO4107CO5.DTL&tsp=1

[Amerigo Vespucci]

1. We've had it in Silicon Valley for several weeks

I've really been getting a kick out of the daily headlines on CNN, MSNBC, etc about how "Gas could reach $4 by the summer."

[Hubert Flottz]

2. Pain at the pump = pain in the rump

The pain in the rump/giant sucking sound, is due to the money flowing out of your ass pocket and into the EXXON shareholder's lap. George and Dick have opened up the world's biggest pipeline from your wallet to EXXON. EXXON will keep on pumping until the American Middle Class runs dry. McCain don't see a freaking thing wrong with that picture.

As long as the oil companies can get away with highway robbery they will continue to up the anny.

EXXON needs that extra cash to pay for McCain's campaign.

[taterguy]

5. My ass gets a little sore from too much time on a bicycle seat

But at least the damage to my wallet is minimal.

[kevinbgoode]

8. Hi....you can get a nice gel seat for a few bucks. . .

I bought one of those a year or so ago - they make a big difference. And you can get one that just fits snugly over your existing seat.

[cornermouse]

3. They're working their way up to $10 a gallon.

Count on it. It may take a year or two but that's their goal. For now.

[Echo In Light]

14. Yep, and the populace STILL won't revolt even then. Count on it

[SpiralHawk]

4. Thanks a pantload, republicon homelanders

This is all your responsibility, you corrupt and inept and greedy republicon homelanders, you.

America will not forget.

[kevinbgoode]

9. Hey now....ABC will tell you to just shut up and make sure

you put on your flag lapel pin to show you are a patriot.

[fasttense]

6. The five big oil corporations have a monopoly

and like OPEC in the 70s, they are running a price fixing scheme. The hedge fund speculators are also busily adding to the oil bubble.

If government wont regulate corporations, then corporations will regulate the government.

[Uben]

7. diesel is over $4 here

in Texas

[Snarkturian Clone]

10. I don't know if this is true but...

a prof of mine in college told me that gas is expensive on the west coast because the west coast states refuse to build new oil refineries... therefore oil from the Alaskan pipeline has to go down to the Panama Canal, transfer the oil to smaller tankers, go through the canal, get refined in New Orleans, then get trucked back to California.

Anybody know if this is accurate at all?

[Uben]

11. I thought it was......

...the fact that Ca had higher emission standards and the extra additives made it more expensive.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. I thought it was that plus higher fuel taxes

[cboy4]

17. Yea, NIMBY

Not in my backyard.

That's not just a problem on the West Coast...or new refineries popping up all over the place in the rest of the country that I don't know about.

Anyway:

http://www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/brochures/gasolinepricesprimer/eia1_2005primerM.html


The State of California operates its own reformulated gasoline program with more stringent requirements than Federally-mandated clean gasolines. In addition to the higher cost of cleaner fuel, there is a combined State and local sales and use tax of 7.25 percent on top of an 18.4 cent-per-gallon Federal excise tax and an 18.0 cent-per-gallon State excise tax. Refinery margins have also been higher due in large part to price volatility in the region.

California prices are more variable than others because there are relatively few supply sources of its unique blend of gasoline outside the State. California refineries need to be running near their fullest capabilities in order to meet the State’s fuel demands. If more than one of its refineries experiences operating difficulties at the same time, California’s gasoline supply may become very tight and the prices soar. Supplies could be obtained from some Gulf Coast and foreign refineries; however, California’s substantial distance from those refineries is such that any unusual increase in demand or reduction in supply results in a large price response in the market before relief supplies can be delivered. The farther away the necessary relief supplies are, the higher and longer the price spike will be.

California was one of the first States to ban the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) after it was detected in ground water. Ethanol, a non-petroleum product usually made from corn, is being used in place of MTBE. Gasoline without MTBE is more expensive to produce and requires refineries to change the way they produce and distribute gasoline. Some supply dislocations and price surges occurred in the summer of 2003 as the State moved away from MTBE. Similar problems have also occurred in past fuel transitions.

[cornermouse]

23. Why do I suspect this is just another version of Grandma Milly?

[Breeze54]

12. Weekly U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices, Regular Grade

Weekly U.S. Retail Gasoline Prices, Regular Grade

http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/wrgp/mogas_home_page.html

Dollars per gallon, including all taxes



Click Link To See the Price for your area

----------------------------------

I just paid $3.29 9/10 for a gal. of regular in SW MA

[proud2BlibKansan]

13. My local news just said it will be $4 here by summer

Went up 25 cents yesterday.

Remember when it used to go up a penny or two at a time?

[Echo In Light]

15. Ours also...unfortunately

[Nickster]

18. We're right behind, just jumped 15 cents a gallon this morning. At 3.69 now.Northern Illinois

[Ganja Ninja]

19. Up an average of 8 1/2 cents per month for the last 14 months.

By the time Bush leaves office the price of a barrel of oil will have quadrupled from what it was when he was sworn in. Talk about mission accomplished.

[fed-up]

20. $3.79 on Wed-$3.87 Thurs-Chico, CA FYou GWB nt

[GrandmaJones7]

21. GOOD! THese rich yuppie SUV drivers deserve this!

Better yet, WHY are our taxes on gas SO low? If we'd only copy Europe and tax gas at about the $7 to $10 level, think of how many people would turn to our public transportation? Would stop poluting? And the number of social ills we could cure with all that money?

Its time for a BIG tax-hike on gas.

[BigDaddy44]

24. You're quite the ray of sunshine, aren't you

KILL the yuppies!! DOWN with yuppies. (by the way, isn't yuppies an 80's term? do we still have yuppies?)

$10 a gallon for everyone. Especially those f*****'in truckers hauling food. STICK IT TO "EM!!!!! More tax money for Bush's wars!!!!

[cboy4]

25. Exactly. Unfortunately, some people aren't capable

of thinking outside the box like you are.

[blowtorchevans]

22. In Britain the equivalent to a US gallon of diesel is....

US $8.8 dollars - mind you I think you boys and girls expect to travel a lot more than we do.

Cost of litre of diesel here per litre is £1.18. There are 3.79 litre per US gallon. so to buy a gallon would be about £4.40 - but then there are two dollars to the pount so $8.80

Medical prescriptions in my part of the UK are free though - some you win some you lose

[Canuckistanian]

26. $4.56 today here in Canada

$1.14/Litre, assuming our dollars are equal.