Monday, April 30, 2018

Gas woes





"What will happen to the price of gasoline when a 'go to market' fuel cell hits the scene? Or electric cars which can go 500 miles on a charge? Oh, they are both coming - sooner rather than later. The oil barons might just be stuffing their pockets right now for their last big shebang."



I seriously don't get it. I just read an article this morning (not the first I have read about this issue), stating that gasoline is going to be crazy expensive this summer. Like close to $3/gallon. Why is that? A coming oil shortage? Not hardly. By year's end, it is predicted we will be an energy exporter on par with Saudi Arabia. Then what the what?

It is no secret that the world is clamoring to get off its oil diet. All that carbon nonsense and climate change stuff. Plus - it is a fact with the proven reserves we know about today, we only have 50 years of oil left at today's consumption. Huh? I thought we were suppose to run out of oil years ago, per the 1990's panic merchants. Wrong. Plus, we keep upping our predictions as we discover more proven reserves. 

In addition, many of us have seen a growing number of buses and small trucks which run on natural gas. Well we must be running out of that stuff! Nope - about 100 years supply remains. Well then, if the world is still "awash" in oil, and we have natural gas coming out of our ears, why in the world are we going to be paying so much more for gas this summer?

I have heard this explained to me so many times I get dizzy. World markets, spot markets, boutique gasoline for summer driving, refineries shut down for summer maintenance, blah, blah, blah. Someone a whole lot brighter than I then might ask the following question - "Why do we have a Department of Energy?" I mean, what good is it, if it cannot guarantee price stability in our gasoline prices, regardless of these external market forces. I mean, we are sitting on a boatload of oil right now. 

In any event, all this bellyaching will not do a ding dang thing about the upcoming summer driving. What will happen to the price of gasoline when a "go to market" fuel cell hits the scene? Or electric cars which can go 500 miles on a charge? Oh, they are both coming - sooner rather than later. The oil barons might just be stuffing their pockets right now for their last big shebang.

The "good" news however, is the paper this morning said we will also have world class gridlock in getting around town this summer. George Jetson - where are you with that flying car?

6 comments:

  1. Crude is so high that it could trigger a "drill, baby, drill" mentality from U.S. shale oil producers who will once again flood the market with supply and drive down prices.

    That's exactly what happened in early 2017, derailing a rally in crude and setting up months of pain.

    U.S. shale producers need oil to be expensive enough to give them incentive to pump, and prices have once again reached that sweet spot.

    You'll be wanting lower gas prices if you're going on a statewide campaign for JJ. Don't be taking campaign money or we'll have your investigated by "special" snowflake.

    Richard Painter entering the race as DINO should help your candidate. His ideas are difficult to follow and debates with Tina Smith should be tiring. Karen has a great opportunity.
    Been 20 years since a GOP held this office.

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  2. This whole fracas is based on the ridiculous assumption that manmade CO2 from fossil fuels is causing a climate catastrophe. It isn't true, has never been true, and never will be. So, if somebody comes up with a useful electric car at a decent price, people will buy it. If somebody comes up with reliable and easily distributed power, and it is cheaper than coal, people will buy it. Just get rid of all the silly mandates which raise prices and do NOTHING for the environment, and it will all sort itself out nicely. Governments hate that.

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    Replies
    1. Scott Pruitt is doing pretty good work re:removal of regulations for drilling (ANWAR and offshore FL). As big of a doofus as he is, he is moving Trumps agenda much better than DeVos, Carson etal.

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  3. It is such a crime that we are spending ALL that time and money on windmills and solar, when we should be pushing hard for new energy technologies like double-burning coal (same energy half the coal), direct trash-to-electricity with liquid fuel as the byproduct, lithium fusion, thorium reactors, sodium breeders, and even cellulosic ethanol. One cannot help but wonder how really stupid those smart people in DC are.

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    Replies
    1. It's due to the assumption fossil fuels will last forever by the same folks denying the earth is going through a cycle that is going to cause significant problems to our lives and livelihood.

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  4. If these alternate technologies are cheaper and more readily available then by all means we should have them. But to mandate them or claim some moral high horse for employing them so we can "save the Earth" from CO2, is stupid and evil.

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