I see the Deli is selling gasoline for $3.79.9 today, up about 50 cents since a couple of weeks ago. One party blames Obama, like some members of the other party used to blame Bush. Robert Rapier presented five myths about gas prices a year ago in the Washington Post. Here’s one of the five:
4. The Obama administration is driving up gas prices.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) says EPA regulations are a “back-door national energy tax” that pushes prices up. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin says the White House drilling moratorium shows President Obama’s “culpability in the high gas prices hurting Americans.”
Blaming the president for rising gas prices is nothing new, and it’s a bipartisan tactic. In 2004, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) blamed President George W. Bush for higher gas prices and for continuing to fill the Strategic Petroleum Reserve as oil prices climbed.
Just one problem: Even if domestic supplies were developed, American presidents couldn’t really control oil prices. The U.S. government has estimated that there are 18 billion barrels of oil in the outer continental shelf of the lower 48 states that are off limits to development. That may sound like a lot, but it is only about 21 / 2 years of supply for the United States, and it would take several years to allocate leases and drill exploratory wells. Even if the estimated 10 billion barrels of oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge were available for development, today’s policy decisions would have no impact on gasoline supplies for as much as a decade. Obama can’t dictate what you’ll pay for premium tomorrow.
Too bad we’ve been talking about developing our oil resources since Carter.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/primary-resources/carter-crisis/
…and from the current Whitehouse.
A quote from the link Sybil posted had this to say;
“Point four: I’m asking Congress to mandate, to require as a matter of law, that our nation’s utility companies cut their massive use of oil by 50 percent within the next decade and switch to other fuels, especially coal, our most abundant energy source.”
Umm yea, I’m sure the “save the planet” crowd would love that.
Also the video Steve posted starting @ 2:52 President Obama is talking about the oil company profits and subsidies they get. $4 billion dollars. He wants to eliminate those subsidies. Now what do you think the stockholders would think about that? Also, to keep profits up don’t you think that maybe prices would go up even more?
Then starting @ 3:38 he starts talking about investments made in the “clean energy” industry. Yep, I know my Solyndra stocks are doing real well.
Also@ 3:47 the talk turns to fuel economy standards whereas cars are allegedly going to average 55 MPG by the middle of the next decade. Really? Gee the VW rabbit diesel was doing that back in the 70′s and 80′s. There were other vehicles in the 90′s that were gas powered getting close to that. So I really don’t count this as a large accomplishment.
This is simply my 2¢, but one of the biggest mistakes made toward less conservation is raising the speed limits on highways back up to 65-70 MPH. It has been proven that driving over 60 MPH causes a rapid drop in MPG. http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/drivehabits.shtml
And if you’re driving a vehicle that’s as aerodynamic as a brick, the effect can start as low as 45 MPH.
I really don’t think there is one correct answer. When gas prices spiked in the middle of ’08 consumption went down. This was followed by prices dropping to less than $2.00.
I don’t like to pay any more for gas than I have to, but when prices on fuels (gas, diesel, fuel oil, propane, natural gas, etc) go up, along with electricity most people tend to conserve. Not so much for their love of “mother earth” but for the sake of survival.
Well that’s enough from me. I shall now step down from my soapbox. My hampster is getting tired of running to power the ‘puter.
I thought it was interesting in the Carter speech that he talked about coal. You don’t hear much about that any more. It is frustrating to hear negativity about developing nuclear, oil and other sources of energy because they won’t lower the price of gas today. Yes, it may take a decade to bring more reactors on-line, let’s get started.
We have to understand we are in a world market. I’d say about 1/3 the price of oil is based on the falling value of the dollar the last decade or more. The dollar has fallen because of the massive government unfunded spending.