Hurricane Katrina and gas prices

[Wolf1]

I didn't want to hi-jack the hurricane thread, and my prayers are with all that are in its path.


But I'm curious, what do you think this will do to gas prices?
And do you think the prices will be affected nationaly or just locally?

I guess I'm wondering if I should go fill all my vehicles tonight..

[john walker's workshop]

being that we get as much as 25% of our oil from the rigs in the gulf, it doesn't bode well.

[TWork]

Seems to be a one way street -- the oil companies always use the media to capitalize on local or world events (or even the anticipation of those events) to raise gas prices, however they never seem to lower prices when such events don't pan out or when prices fall (not that they're falling at the moment). Nonetheless, Chevron and the likes continue to post record profits. Shocking.

T.

[Carl Bauer]

Originally posted by Wolf1

I guess I'm wondering if I should go fill all my vehicles tonight..

I did. I really believe w/in the next week we'll see $5 a gallon around the country. If the flooding is 1/2 as bad as they predict it could be weeks before any of those plants come back online.

[lendaddy]

2-3 days at +$0.40-$0.50, then back to normal.

[speeder]

This is turning out to be one wonderful decade, ain't it?

[lendaddy]

Originally posted by speeder
This is turning out to be one wonderful decade, ain't it?

You're gonna make it speedy..hang in there lil fella

[RickM]

News reports are saying $4.00 real soon. Can't wait.

[targa911S]

Well at that price ($4.00) I can get racing gas! Think I'll go fill er up now. I used to feel guilty about spending $40.00 to fill it up. Now it's looking like a bargain!

[Jims5543]

Originally posted by targa911S
Well at that price ($4.00) I can get racing gas! Think I'll go fill er up now. I used to feel guilty about spending $40.00 to fill it up. Now it's looking like a bargain!

Its funny how the 110 prices stay the same.

I wish I could buy an electric car for my back and forth to work duties.

Anyone know of any companies sellling them? I did some google searching and did not find much.

I drive 10 miles each way city (no more than 50MPH) and would love to park my petro burners and only use them on the weekend.

Its sad, I figured 10 years ago we would have fully electric cars by now.

[artplumber]

Originally posted by Jim Cesiro

I wish I could buy an electric car for my back and forth to work duties.

Anyone know of any companies sellling them? I did some google searching and did not find much.

There is a company than makes 4passenger (admittedly open) souped up golf carts that'll do 40mph or so. They are licenceable at least in CA & OR where I saw them, but I can't remember the manufacturer. Better ask someone who just went on a vacation to HI or the Caribbean since they are often for rent in those locations.

[North Coast Cab]

News says $.10-.25 by Wednesday. I just loaded up the truck at Costco for $2.30, by far the cheapest around, and two 5 gal jugs for the 911 at Beaver Run this weekend for $2.67.

John

[likemystoppie?]

Originally posted by EJ11HHF
I did. I really believe w/in the next week we'll see $5 a gallon around the country. If the flooding is 1/2 as bad as they predict it could be weeks before any of those plants come back online.

Did anyone see the special on TLC about the 'ficticious' Cat. 5 hurricane that hit that area?

It was on about 2 months ago I think..........it predicted this very same thing.......only worse I think........

[speeder]

Originally posted by lendaddy
You're gonna make it speedy..hang in there lil fella

You're funny, dude.

Sometimes I just get nostalgic for the good old days, when life was nearly perfect and the biggest problem in the country was the ugly interns knee-walking around the WH. Sigh....

[Rick V]

I understand about profit and the need to raise prices because of the gulf production or lack there of but. Why does the price at the pump go up the same day. Isn't that fuel already in the pipeline and paid for at a lower price? I think I will adopt that policy at work. I'm sorry Mr. Smith I think your car is going to be hard so I'm gonna charge you 90$ an hour instead of the regular 60$.
Seems to me to be the same thing. Isn't this type of price gouging against the law?

[speeder]

Originally posted by Rick V
I understand about profit and the need to raise prices because of the gulf production or lack there of but. Why does the price at the pump go up the same day. Isn't that fuel already in the pipeline and paid for at a lower price? I think I will adopt that policy at work. I'm sorry Mr. Smith I think your car is going to be hard so I'm gonna charge you 90$ an hour instead of the regular 60$.
Seems to me to be the same thing. Isn't this type of price gouging against the law?

Actually, "price gouging" or raising your prices in a federal disaster area is a felony punishable by imprisonment. (FDA declared by president, as Louisiana is/will be). Wouldn't it be sweet to see some Exxon/Mobil execs getting ass-raped in the near future, just so that they can know how the rest of us feel.

[Evans, Marv]

All of you who say we get taken advantage of are right. I'm always amazed at the swiftness gas prices rise and the snail's pace they fall, if that. Seems like my luck always sucks. I recently bought a diesel pickup, since I plan on building a house and will have to haul & tow stuff in the future. Sure enough, diesel goes sky high a week after I bought it. I'm also leaving on a trip this week (long planned). I only have to drive about 400 miles to where I'm going, but now I'll have to pay out the nose for gas. The good thing is I'll be on a two week hiking trip, which means I won't have to buy gas during that time and won't have to hear about the prices while I'm up there.

[masraum]

Years ago I spoke to the manager of an auto parts store. He said that at some point 4 of the 5 factories that produced Prestone antifreeze burned down. He said that Prestone sent letters to it's retailers that said that it's remaining factory had enough capacity to continue to produce enough and it would not raise prices. That's when the price of antifreeze when from $1 a gal to $4.

Don't forget, there's a bunch of oil in South Am, the North Sea, South Africa, Alaska, etc....

I don't think we'll be hurting for oil.

Besides, mostly what this does is put a week or 2 damper on oil prod in the gulf. They evacuate a few days before the storm hits and as soon as they can after it's gone they start going back out. About the only time there's a problem is when a rig breaks loose or drags it's anchor lines. It's actually kind of funny. Sometimes the oil companies "loose" a rig for anything from hours to days because it ends up someplace besides where they left it.

[Waz356]

mmm, a pipeline breaks in another continent, and because this may raise the world price of oil, gas prices in Australia look set to go up about 20c/litre. Go figure??? I just hope everyone in Kartinas path is OK.

[deanp]

It didn't even take until Wednesday like the above statement. I saw prices rise at the four stations I pass on the way home from 8 to 10 cents per gallon between 7:30 this morning and 6:30 this evening.