Ouch. Our gas price rose, res tof country drops?

[WolfeMacleod]

After filling up today, this is how I feel. OUr prices are on the rise, whiel the rest of the country has dropped, I read in a paper today.

I 'shopped this, just for the occasion.

[RWebb]

BP botched the restart on a refinery & there are some others down or partly down for repairs

not that oil co.s wouldn't make as much profit as they can - but nothing unusual about that

BTW - there is a good, well researched tome out on Exxon & Exxon/Mobil now... IIRC, title = Private Empire

[KingSalmon911SC]

I'm back in King Salmon, Alaska. Since October's last barge, our gas is/has been $5.85 per gallon - regular. We have no premium fuel available. I can't wait to go to the lower48 this summer. Premium at $4.00 per gallon will feel like a bargain to me! Can't wait to get my SC out of storage.

Richard

[RWebb]

yeh, but how is the salmon?

I didn't even know you could GET gas there?

and what are you doing there? working at Katmai?

[carreradpt]

Didn't Seattle vote themselves a gas tax increase a few years ago when gas was cheaper and it was to be applied over 5 years or something like that?

[GH85Carrera]

I paid $3.45 today for gas.

[mikeesik]

The price dropped here from $1.19 per litre to $1.10.-- I'm sure this happened because I -willed- it!

[BRPORSCHE]

I paid 3.40-ish yesterday.

Would be very happy if the price of crude went back up to $125 or even $150/barrel

[Scott R]

Small price to pay for the excellent sushi you have.

[Hugh R]

$4.21 in Los Angeles for 87 octane which is E85.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

But you guys get your electricity for next to nothing...

[porwolf]

Seems to be that every time summer is approaching on the west coast refineries conveniently have to shut down and require maintenance! Anybody believes that?

[porwolf]

Originally Posted by Porsche-O-Phile

But you guys get your electricity for next to nothing...

That is because, at least here in Los Angeles, we don't have to buy electricity from privately owned power companies. We have our own Department of Water and Power! I wish we had our own refineries also.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

$4.21 in Los Angeles for 87 octane which is E85.

Your 87 is E85? That sucks for MPG, and it sucks for everybody that doesn't drive a flex fuel vehicle. What do drivers of older cars do? Even my 2005 RX8 isn't E85 capable.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

CA doesn't want people driving older cars. They get much more sales tax revenue, plate fees and the politicians' buddies in the insurance and banking industries want people paying the high rates to insure and endebting themselves to them, not owning free and clear.

CA definitely disincentivizes older car ownership. One more reason I made it a point to own only older vehicles when I was there.

[fred cook]

Saw regular gas (87 octane, E10) at $3.23 in North Georgia last Friday. It was $3.49 here in South Georgia yesterday. Right now, I only know of two places between here and Atlanta where E85 is offered and there are a fair number of stations around that still have ethanol free gas. Diesel is running about $3.79 a gallon now.

[GH85Carrera]

The gas I bought is pure gas. E-zero real gas. $3.49 per gallon. Many of the gas stations around have a big banner advertising "no ethanol in our gas"

[creaturecat]

approaching $7/us gal here, for premium.
Yes, $7, in Vancouver.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The gas I bought is pure gas. E-zero real gas. $3.49 per gallon. Many of the gas stations around have a big banner advertising "no ethanol in our gas"

Same here, I have a station right next to work that sells E0 and is damn proud of it. I buy all of my gas there, I just paid $3.70-ish for 91. I'll pay extra for gas that is better for my car, better for my MPG, and not part of a failed government inventive program that is pissing away our tax dollars and driving up the cost of food.

It's still reasonably hard to find E0 gas in KS, the farm lobby has a lot of power here and successfully pushed a few years ago to remove the requirement that all gas with ethanol be clearly identified. Most of the gas has ethanol in it, they just don't have to tell you.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by porwolf

Seems to be that every time summer is approaching on the west coast refineries conveniently have to shut down and require maintenance! Anybody believes that?

No one with a clue believes that.
People with a clue or who have actually done research to GAIN KNOWLEDGE ON A SUBJECT THEY ARE DISCUSSING know that production changes have to be reported, approved, and investigated by the gubmint.

Refinery process units require maintenence, that is a fact. There is only so much you can do on-line and they can only run so long before they have to be shut down for major overhauls.
That time typically varies from three to five years depending on the process, age, and condition of the process unit. In many cases they have to be shut down because of GOVERNMENT MANDATED inspections.

Proposed shutdowns for maintenance have to be submitted and approved beforehand. The government looks at the market, the available supplies, the schedule of other refineries, and either approves or denies the plan.

A unit shutdown/overhaul can take from 2 to 4 weeks depending on work scope and cost up to $250 million. A typical complex refinery can has as many as 18 process units and shutdowns are usually bundled together with as many as 8 units being overhauled at one time to minimize down time.

Refineries are typically not allowed ot shut down in the summer months due to higher driving and demand. They wouldn't want to either, as the summer is when they are most likely profitable. During the winter they are lucky to break even.
They are also typically required to perform major maintenance during the winter mnoths when demand is lower.
If a refinery was suspected of manipulating production to affect market prices, people would go to prison. That is how close the scrutiny is. Every time prices spike some politriciian clown calls for a congressional or state invesitigation and every time they find hte same thing, the oil companies had nothing to do with it.

If a refinery in California has a mechanical breakdown that affects production it has to be reported WITHIN THE HOUR. If it is reported in 61 minutes or later, the fines are HUGE.
It is ALWAYS followed by an on-site investigation by at least one government agency, usually more like thee.

A few months ago, the BP carson refinery went through a nearly plantwide shutdown for maintenance and upgrades (regulation driven).
It lasted nearly a month and htery gbrought in a couple thousand extra workers ot complete the work. That had a huge effect on the available supply of finished products as that refinery supplies 20% of the fuels for So cal.

But, the west coast refineries typically run at around 86% of capacity since the market dowenturn in 2009 and are ramping up production to make up for the temporary market blip.
BTW, we have plenty of gas. We just don't have quite as much stock-pile as we've had before. That gave the SPECULATORS an excuse to mess with the market. Chevron had nothing to do with it.
This could also be seen as a market correction. gas prices were lcimbing steadily earlier htis year and then fell in Aprol and part of May due to OVER production.
Now htey are correcting and headed back in the same direction, again due to speculation by investors.

At the beginnnig of the year I predicted that regular gas in so cal will hit $4.50 by early summer and still expect to see that my memmorial day. It's already gotten close once.
Although the oil companies will welcome that, it isn't by their hand.