eyesandgillz
Posts: 682
Joined: 6/18/2003
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quote:
ORIGINAL: gobyking
True. But what I was getting at was a year and 3 months ago it was the same price. Gouging by the big oil companies has been going on for a few years no matter what the pro-oil guys on here will say, we know that. The post was to question why it is so expensive and limited in the southeast US while we have all 3 grades here and the price is cheaper. And the BS that the different blends are causing the problem is just another shell game that some on here will buy into. No reason for there to be a shortage in the SE US other than greed.
Several reasons why they have a shortage Goby...just do a little googling and you'll get edumucated! :-) For your reading pleasure.
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From WKYC
Hurricane Ike damage causes gas shortage in the south
Posted 1 hr ago
DALLAS, TX -- A major pipeline that transports fuel from southern Texas across the northern part of the state and throughout the southeast was damaged by Hurricane Ike.
Now, drivers across the region and finding it harder to fill up as many stations have simply run out of gas.
Gas tankers lined up at one of the few distribution centers that still has fuel.
A three or four hour wait for trucks that supply neighborhood gas stations.
With gas supplies so tight, some gas stations are running out.
One motorist in Dallas says "that's really, really scary. No gas. What will we do? We won't be able to do anything. We can't go to work. We can't do anything."
The problem? Suppliers say Hurricane Ike damaged a major pipe line that carries fuel from the coast to the north. That pipe line is now working, but supplies have not had a chance to catch up with demand.
Experts say there should be enough gas to go around as long as people don't fill up needlessly.
A representative of AAA says "if everybody filled up right now we'd definitely run out. But if you only fill up when you need to, between the supplies getting to the retailer and using what we actually need it'll balance itself out and we won't have a problem."
As for the price, it's actually been dropping, even as supplies run so low.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________ From Reuters AlertNet
U.S. gasoline inventories lowest since 1967
By Tom Doggett
Source: Reuters
24 Sep 2008 21:24:48 GMT
WASHINGTON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - U.S. gasoline inventories shrunk to their lowest levels since 1967 after hurricanes Gustav and Ike shut Gulf Coast oil refineries, but the Bush administration said there is still no need to ask for emergency fuel supplies from European allies.
The drop in fuel stocks has caused long lines at service stations in southern cities. Some retail outlets, including stations in Atlanta and Memphis and as far away as Ohio, have run out of fuel.
"Some people are even following tankers to the station and then they descend upon the station," said Randy Bly, a spokesman for the AAA's chapter for southeastern states.
Nonetheless, U.S. Energy Secretary Sam Bodman said on Wednesday the Bush administration would not reconsider making a request to the International Energy Agency for emergency gasoline supplies. Bodman said last week the Energy Department was "reasonably satisfied" with the recovery of the U.S. oil sector after the hurricanes.
The Paris-based IEA was created by the United States and other industrial nations in the mid-1970s, after the Arab oil embargo, to coordinate energy policy and the release of petroleum stocks when needed.
Five U.S. oil refineries with a total production capacity of 1.231 million barrels a day have remained shut since Ike idled 14 plants, or a quarter of the nation's refined fuel production, nearly two weeks ago, according to the department.
The closed refineries have caused a drawdown in existing fuel inventories to help meet demand.
U.S. gasoline stocks fell 5.9 million barrels last week to just under 179 million barrels, down almost 19 million barrels from a year ago, according to the department's Energy Information Administration.
That leaves the United States with the lowest fuel stocks since 1967, when America's gasoline demand was just 5 million barrels a day, almost half its current daily consumption of 9 million, the EIA said.
Since Gustav struck at the beginning of the month, 52 million barrels of petroleum products have been lost at Gulf Coast refineries, according to Reuters data.
"Continuing reports of spot shortages of gasoline at some retail outlets where supplies have been most disrupted can be expected over the next several weeks," the EIA said in its weekly review of the oil market.
To help ensure adequate supplies and ease pump prices, the Environmental Protection Agency late on Tuesday waived federal clean air requirements for gasoline sold in Atlanta and surrounding counties in Georgia.
Gasoline prices nationwide have dropped as more refineries resumed operations. The EIA said retail gasoline costs may fall to $3.50 per gallon, "if not lower," by the end of the year, as long as there are no further supply disruptions.___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Q & A
Many factors combine to fuel gas shortage
By TAMMY JOYNER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sunday, September 28, 2008
By the time you stick the nozzle of regular unleaded gasoline into your tank, your gas has endured an elaborate refining process and snaked through hundreds of miles of pipeline. Last week’s long lines and sea of plastic bag-draped pumps tell only part of the story. Here’s what’s going on, according to officials at the U.S. Energy Information Administration and the American Petroleum Institute:
GAS SHORTAGE
Q: Why are we having gas shortages in Atlanta?
A: Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit back-to-back. The refineries shut down in anticipation of Gustav. Then Ike hit and the gas production and refineries didn’t restart because of power outages. That also affected the operation
of major pipelines that move gas from refining areas in the Gulf Coast to facilities throughout the Southeast.
Q: How long will the gas shortages last?
A: It’s hard to say. There are pockets of surging demand. People are trying to top off more in fear of shortages, so people are buying more gas than they’d normally buy. But this will not be a permanent situation.
Q: Why does it seem that there’s more of a shortage now than after Hurricane Katrina?
A: The stockpiles of gasoline and other products are lower now than after Hurricane Katrina. So current shutdowns are mainly due to power outages in the areas where there are refineries. The good news is they’re starting to come back online. Production will be restored faster than it was after Katrina and Rita because the refineries weren’t damaged as badly. As of Friday, only four of 56 Gulf Coast refineries remain closed.
Q: Have other places been as hard-hit as Georgia?
A: Mainly North Carolina and Georgia. One reason for Atlanta’s shortage was the area’s requirements for a special type of fuel. It’s a unique fuel affecting the sulfur content that’s required in 45 counties in Georgia. But the temporary waiver of the reformulated gas, combined with more refineries coming back online, should ease the shortage.
Q: The Northeast seems to have escaped the shortages? Why?
A: They have more supply options in the Northeast. There are more refineries along the way and they get supply from other parts of the country, in addition to the Gulf Coast refineries and pipelines. The Southeast depends mostly on Gulf Coast refineries and pipelines.
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