gasoline prices

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by TexasWSP

I posted a couple thoughts on why gas is so high on the last page.

Sorry I was kind of mean. I am in the oil and gas business and it just irritates me how uninformed people are. To be completely honest......most people don't have a clue.

OPEC is relied upon because of the fact that there are so many places you can drill for oil in this country that aren't being utilized because of environmental activism. Florida coast, California coast, and Alaska are among a few. If people don't stop being pussies about putting drilling rigs in the ocean, among other places, this country is going to be in serious trouble in 10-15 years.......it is a reality....and it frustrates the hell out of people in my profession.....especially when we are the ones that are getting shit on by everyone because of gas prices. People don't have a clue. These places I've mentioned should have been explored and opened up a decade ago but people bitched and moaned about it so much it never happened......now we're in this situation and guess who they bitch to now......the oil companies. It's ridiculous.

First off, chill out.

Secondly, I'm sure there are really good reasons why drilling hasn't begun in those places you mentioned otherwise I'm sure they would have done it long ago.

[DeltAlum]

Major oil company CEO's testified before a Senate committee today.

The senators did not treat them very kindly.

There is a thread in the News and Politics forum.

[ree-Xi]

Filled up on Monday at 3.91. Today it is 4.05. Absolutely ridiculous.

[AGDee]

Talk about mad. On the way to picking my daughter up from band practice, I checked out every gas station so I would know which one to stop at on the way home to buy gas. Logical, Right? Not driving out of my way for a cheaper price, but finding the cheapest one on the way. Well, 30 minutes later, driving home, three of the four had gone up 10 cents and were sitting at $3.99.

The one that didn't change had it for $3.89 for cash/debit, $3.94 for credit. Anybody else seeing a lot of that? Why are they doing that??

[jon1856]

Originally Posted by AGDee

Talk about mad. On the way to picking my daughter up from band practice, I checked out every gas station so I would know which one to stop at on the way home to buy gas. Logical, Right? Not driving out of my way for a cheaper price, but finding the cheapest one on the way. Well, 30 minutes later, driving home, three of the four had gone up 10 cents and were sitting at $3.99.

The one that didn't change had it for $3.89 for cash/debit, $3.94 for credit. Anybody else seeing a lot of that? Why are they doing that??

Perhaps saving on CC fees?

[nate2512]

Originally Posted by AGDee

The one that didn't change had it for $3.89 for cash/debit, $3.94 for credit. Anybody else seeing a lot of that? Why are they doing that??

Depends on the type of store. If it's like a locally run gas station and they have a contract with an oil company that provides pumps and cash registers, everything run through credit they only get paid that money at certain intervals, normally 30 days. If it's credit or cash, it's money they pocket immediately, so that may be a little incentive for people to use cash so all their money isn't tied up for an entire month.

[texas*princess]

Originally Posted by nate2512

Depends on the type of store. If it's like a locally run gas station and they have a contract with an oil company that provides pumps and cash registers, everything run through credit they only get paid that money at certain intervals, normally 30 days. If it's credit or cash, it's money they pocket immediately, so that may be a little incentive for people to use cash so all their money isn't tied up for an entire month.

Not only that (good reason btw), but Credit companies are raising rates - the interest rates they charge consumers and =possibly= the charges that are charged to merchants to process cards. (I don't know the second part for sure, but I wouldn't be surprised since credit companies are trying to find new ways to look at their balance sheets since the housing industry went bust.

I'd compare it to the airlines charging for checked bags. It's sort of built in as another profit center to try to balance things out.

TexasWSP - there are plenty of environmental reasons to *not* drill in those places you were talking about. I'm not those decision makers but I'd venture to guess there are more reasons than just the environment ones. It's not like they just shook their finger at the oil companies and said 'no' just to piss you guys off.

[TexasWSP]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

TexasWSP - there are plenty of environmental reasons to *not* drill in those places you were talking about. I'm not those decision makers but I'd venture to guess there are more reasons than just the environment ones. It's not like they just shook their finger at the oil companies and said 'no' just to piss you guys off.

Look, I'm in the oil and gas business. My father has been in it for 32 years. He is a vp in one of the largest producers of natural gas in the united states. I'm not telling it from a one sided point of view here. I'm telling you like it is........I'm failing to see the reason why you keep trying to argue this with me. Did you not read a single article I posted? It's right there, spelled out, in plain English. They won't let you drill off of Florida because of environmental "concerns". They won't let you drill off the coast of California because of environmental "concerns".

I never said there weren't environmental reasons to *not* drill. If I did I didn't mean to. That really means nothing to me though. These days there are "environmental concerns" for doing just about every single thing you could possibly do. When I go buy a bag of dog food, there is a potential for "environmental concern".

If it weren't for "environmental concerns" there would be off-shore drilling rigs off of the California Coast. The waters where the leases are located to drill in are all within federally regulated boundaries....there isn't supposed to be a damn thing they can do about.

However, this is where legislators out there get shady. There are plenty of loopholes in the system where if a "study" shows that oil and gas companies didn't take the necessary steps to ensure environmental protection then they can override the federal governments authority in the matter. If they can show a "potential" for future problems, they can override the system. Well.....that last part pretty much causes everyone to be shit out of luck. The process that goes into creating a well is extremely technical and you have to go through tons of safety checks, geological checks, geographical checks. etc. etc. You can put a well in the safest environment on the planet........doesn't mean there isn't a potential for something bad to happen.

[texas*princess]

I still have the flu (seriously, who gets the flu in the summer?) but I went out into the world and passed by "my" gas station.

unleaded prices
4/26 - $3.57 /gal
5/12 - $3.74 /gal
5/21 - $3.89 /gal
5/25 - $3.91 /gal

The super & premium has been at or above the $4 for awhile ... right now premium is around $4.22/gal

[TexasWSP]

Originally Posted by texas*princess

First off, chill out.

Secondly, I'm sure there are really good reasons why drilling hasn't begun in those places you mentioned otherwise I'm sure they would have done it long ago.

Yeah...I'm chilled. Haha.

Secondly, I'd really love to hear these really good reasons why we haven't been openly exploring the millions upon millions of unproven reserves in the places I mentioned. The reason why is exactly what I stated. Democrats and tree hugging liberals have fought coastal drilling for a long time now. It's all about environmentalism.

May 26, 2001
By Tamara Lytle
Orlando Sentinel, Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson and other Democrats will wage war against a White House compromise that would allow drilling off Florida's shores but move it farther from the state's beaches......

"It looks like they're hellbent they're going to drill off of Florida," Nelson said. "We've got a fight on our hands.".....

"We should not drill for oil one mile off Florida's coast, and we should not drill 100 miles off the coast. The plan will hurt our environment and could potentially devastate Florida's tourism industry."

July 24, 2006

Public Citizen to Congress: Don’t Allow New Coastal Drilling

Expanding Drilling Will Not Lower Prices; Reducing Demand, Strengthening Regulation of Oil Companies Will

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Opening environmentally sensitive areas to oil and natural gas drilling won’t ease energy prices or reduce oil imports and should be rejected by the Senate when it votes this week, Public Citizen said today.

Judge bars new coastal oil drillings A federal government plan to extend offshore leases is put on hold pending a wider environmental study that could take years

By Kenneth R. Weiss
Los Angeles Times
August 13, 2005

A federal judge effectively blocked new oil drilling off the California coast, ordering federal officials not to allow exploratory wells or other activity until they conduct a more extensive study of the environmental risks — a process that could take years.

Bush Reverses View Of California Offshore Oil Ban
By J.R. Pegg

WASHINGTON, DC, April 1, 2003 (ENS) - The Bush administration said Monday it will not appeal a court decision that upheld California's right to ban oil and gas exploration in federal waters off the central coast of the state....

"Bush administration officials must have decided that they don't have a strong legal case, as I have pointed out all along," said California Senator Barbara Boxer, a Democrat. "I hope that they now also understand how much we Californians care about our coast."

Here is another link concerning the Deep Ocean Drilling legislation
http://feinstein.senate.gov/news-oil-drilling83006.html


Now......this is the kind of attitude that I am more prone to agreeing with:

The St. Petersburg Times

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas: "I think that you go in every place that you can to find resources." Rep. Tom Tancredo: "You bet. I would agree to exploration off the coasts. I mean, it's -- how fair is it, today, that, Louisiana is producing all the oil that California and other (states) are consuming, and they refuse to allow the exploration of oil off the coasts?
"I'd say, you know, if you won't allow it, you can't use it, the stuff that we're getting from Louisiana... So, yes, you better drill every place you can here."