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More pain pending at pump

August 7, 2012

Get ready, Central Coast — here come higher gasoline prices.

Expectations of petroleum analysts is that the price per gallon soon will rise above $4 here, and this will be due to identifiable reasons, for once. Oil prices are up, higher than $94 a barrel, and now a Chevron refinery fire in the Bay Area ignited Monday and spews vast plumes of black smoke overhead the communities of Richmond and San Pablo. (Orange County Register)

The fire was contained early this morning. However, the economic impact already is being felt, because West Coast refineries are more vulnerable to issues such as debilitating fire, disconnected as it is to the nation’s primary petroleum pipeline supply on the Gulf Coast.

The refinery until now has been producing 16 percent of the West Coast’s daily gasoline consumption.


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Save your gas or air bucks and have a camping vacation in SLO. There is a Ten Star side walk with many examples of eco challenged tourism. Be creative.


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Bobfromsanluis

Do you relly want the idiots in Washington to have that much control. Think about it. The government decides you can’t have gas today. The government sets the price, the production, hours of sale, amount you can use. Sorry sir, you have used your quota for this month, you will have to ride a bicycle. I for one no longer trust my elected officials. The Govenment (read that PEOPLE) has ceeded their freedom to those in Washington. Those in Washington could give a rats a#$ about us.


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The refinery (Conoco Phillips) pipes petroleum to refineries in Richmond. Will employees locally be out of work while the Chevron refinery in Richmond is repaired?


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Should it suprise anyone that the oil companies have to find a way to keep oil prices high. A few months ago it was because many refineries all shut down at same time for maintainence – now a fire. look at this way – how would you like to have a business that absolved you of all responsibility for actions – if anything happens – just increase the price you charge for what you make. Whatever happened to being responsible? If you have a fire – prices can not change – maybe your outlandish profits have to suffer. What a novel idea! Then, maybe you would be more careful and diligent of preventing things like that – knowing that you can not just pass the cost on to your customers.


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But, but, but, it’s the “free” market at work ….


Given the obscene profits the oil companies rake in quarter after quarter, given how much influence the oil companies exert over “our” politicians, and given how we have such a deficit problem, why don’t we follow the example of the South American boogyman (at least in the eyes of conservatives) Hugo Chavez and go ahead and nationalize the companies that are extracting, processing and shipping oil out of our country? Other than the classification of such an action as “socialist” or totalitarian, what would the drawbacks be to such an action?


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While I am not happy with the oil companies shananagins a lot of times in regards to article, I don’t think emulating a country like Venezuela and it’s dictator is the answer either. I was in Caracus, Venezuela on a trip back in the early 2000’s. As I left the port on a tour buss they have armed guards at the gate with Uzi’s. Not a comforting thought of what am I heading into.


The shanty town’s on the surrounding hills are astounding. The place was pretty dirty. The local park, which I would guess at about 15 acres didn’t (God’s honest truth) have hardly one square inch that wasn’t covered in trash. I was AMAZED! It looked like the local dump not a park. Then on a trip on a road up into the rain forest, again trash EVERYWHERE!! Along the roads, creeks, etc.


If I have to chose between your scenario of emulating them vs. high gas prices, as much as I hate them I will take the gas prices.


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I don’t think this would be an “either/or” situation in regards to nationalizing. We are so crazy to leave fuel, health, banking and the like in complete control of oligarchs who charge exorbitantly and drain off a third of the proceeds for their profit and salary! The 99% are like serfs in the middle ages and things are trending toward more inequality. Put those Republicans in and witness financial Armageddon.


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Might as well get used to it, as long as we export or sell the oil produced in the US on the world spot market the price to push your Hummvee down the highway is going to be determined on the price of a Tuktuk ride in Beijing.


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Wow, the first article said this plant only produced 1/16 of the States oil. Now that is 1/8 of the states production. What gives….Oh thats right they’re going to run the price up.


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oops, they’re


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Pain at the pump, pain at the grocery store, pain with paying a mortgage, pain paying utilities, pain paying federal, state and county taxes. Pain the the polling place, voting for two different choices neither with a clear way out of the downward spiral.


PAIN, the new normal.


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Dont forget the boss…pain in the ass….. hehehahaha


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Help


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