East coast fuel shortage

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moonshadow
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

Post by moonshadow »

I'm hearing a lot of complaints of hoarding, and while I agree some minor hoarding is occurring (I myself topped off my lawnmower gas cans to ensure we can complete our trip this weekend), unlike toilet paper and non-perishables, gasoline is trickier to hoard. It needs to be stored in certain containers, is subject water condensate from sweating drums, has a short shelf life. I mean, once people fill their cars and their handful of gas cans, where else do they put it?

I did hear one local story of a guy filling 4 - 55 gallon drums... but 1) who has that many drums just laying around suitable for DOT transport? and 2) you're looking at $600-$700 to fill those things...who carries that kind of money around willy-nilly?

This too shall pass...
Last edited by moonshadow on Wed May 12, 2021 4:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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moonshadow wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 4:00 pmThis too shall pass...
Once they get the pipeline running again -- this time with hopefully better security around it.
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Fred in Skirts
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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Today as I went to the doctors office I noticed that there were no lines at the stations in Aiken and they had gas. But the prices were around $3.00 per gal. This is up from about $2.00 a gallon just 3 months ago.

Today the sky's were very dark at 2PM, headlights were needed to drive and the wind was hitting 25mph with gusts to about 45mph. The temperature was Hovering around 40 degrees F and with the wind it felt like old man Winter was back for another round without any spring or summer.. It was raining so hard at times you could not see 1 foot in front of you. I was going to get gas but decided that I would wait until Saturday. I will need to have a full tank on Monday when I have to go to Augusta Ga for an appointment with the VA hospital.
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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Fred in Skirts wrote: Wed May 12, 2021 11:05 pmToday as I went to the doctors office I noticed that there were no lines at the stations in Aiken and they had gas. But the prices were around $3.00 per gal. This is up from about $2.00 a gallon just 3 months ago.
That's likely just the normal Memorial Day price hike. I suspect that South Carolina is out of the affected area and is supplied via other means.

I was out earlier and didn't notice the various price-signs on the assorted filling stations within reasonable reach. One was totally obscured by the monster-truck next to me at a stop-light and when I went by another had more important things to look at. (I hope the macho-chick behind the wheel of the monster-truck faces a $100 tab for her next fill-up.)
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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I don't start getting squirmy until it gets about $4 per gallon. For most of my adult life it's always hovered around $2.50-$3.50 with occasional highs and lows.

I was paying on the high end (close to $4 or better) back in 2005(ish). I made a hell of a lot less in wages then than I do now and we managed to survive.

It will be okay.

Besides, high gas prices may hurt one segment of the economy, but it boost other segments, particularly in the oil producing states. Such is how it goes with any complex economy, when you adjust one dial, 10 others move on their own, and judging from the kind of cars I see on the road, and the nice houses I see everyone living in, I'm not convinced this country can't afford it.

If I can afford it with my modest means, then I know the average Joe will be fine. Plus, don't forget, Joe and Jane sixpack are getting three hundred bucks a youngin now...

They'll be fine.
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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Fuel in the U.K. is the equivalent of $6.70 per US gallon. That’s why our cars are more fuel-efficient...
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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All this talk about gas shortages reminds me of how lucky I am to live in a city. I haven't had to drive my car in over three weeks. I take a bus to work, a subway home from work, and can walk to markets, drugstores, and convenience stores. Long live shoe leather!
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

Post by 6ft3Aussie »

No fuel shortages on the east coast of of the great southern land..

Fuel price varies (1 US Gallon = 3.785L) and our price varies at the moment between $4.65/US Gallon and $6.17/US Gallon, depending on where you are in the price cycle, which is roughly a month currently. I do not understand the price cycle, and I don't think many people do, other than a way for the fuel companies to make more money.

In New Zealand, you're currently paying around $NZ 2.13/L ($8.06/Gallon) for 91 octane and $2.43/L ($9.20/Gallon).

Fuel in the US is by comparison to the most of rest of the world, ridiculously cheap.
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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6ft3Aussie wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 12:02 pm Fuel in the US is by comparison to the most of rest of the world, ridiculously cheap.
I've noticed that over the years, and I've wondered why. But it's hard to get a straight answer without a bunch of politically biased fluff and bs.

I wonder is it higher fuel taxes? Higher cost from refineries? Less oil production from the subject countries? Or a combination thereof.

I've heard taxes are generally higher in other western developed nations, but pound for pound, (dollar for dollar here) if you take into consideration the value other first world nations get in exchange for those higher taxes (e.g. a more robust economy, better Healthcare access, better quality roads, rail, other infrastructure, schools, colleges, mass transit, etc) then it could be argued middle class Americans probably pay the highest tax rate for the smallest amount of return.

I know I get absolutely NOTHING for the almost $6,000 I send Uncle Sam and the Commonweath of Virginia on my income taxes.

I know I drive public roads, but we have gas taxes, local taxes, sales taxes, real estate taxes, and a host of other [non-income] taxes that pay for roads.

They tell me Medicare and Social Security will be completely bankrupt by the time I hit 65 in 2045... so seeing as how boomers don't give a sh!t about us kids, and those socialist systems are on the chopping block with millennials and onwards, I'd like to see them abolish the programs IMMEDIATELY. [0]

I'm just sick to death about all the ranting about "ssssssssocialims"... that's it, abolish all government programs for everyone. Let's go straight up capitalist... you work... or you die, just like the laws of Nature intended. No more double standards.


[0] Of course I'm being sarcastic, but should I be? I'll have to work myself to the grave, why should these boomers and xers be any different?
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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Carl, the 1972/73 fuel crisis in the UK was caused by the Arab nations, raising oil prices substantially. In the end it was a temporary blip but serious enough to precipitate the issue of petrol coupons. I had only been driving for a year or two art the time.
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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Sinned wrote: Thu May 13, 2021 9:53 pmCarl, the 1972/73 fuel crisis in the UK was caused by the Arab nations, raising oil prices substantially. In the end it was a temporary blip but serious enough to precipitate the issue of petrol coupons.
Indeed, but just a couple of years after that one the US had an entirely fabricated one that could be verified by anybody near any large seaport with a good vantage point and a decent pair of binoculars to see the fully-laden tankers anchored a few miles off-shore. Shortly after that news broke -- back when we had a moderately responsible press -- the US instituted a "windfall profits tax" on the oil companies to deal with the problem and the problem soon went away. That'd never happen now. Full stop.
I had only been driving for a year or two art the time.
I earned my driving-license in 1977 or 1978, and the price of petrol was then still under $1.00 per gallon. That didn't last long, mind, but I do recall that the first car I had was a 1971 Plymouth Duster with a 225 cubic-inch mill that got about 21 miles to the gallon. Here we are 40+ years later, and I've driving a four-cylinder car that gets 29 or 30 to the gallon -- not the sort of increase that we should reasonably have expected, and there are still vehicles in private hands that get mileage in the teens per gallon. There -- briefly -- was a "gas-guzzler" tax, but that was rescinded pretty quickly under pressure from Ford and GM. There was also the notion of the "Corporate Average Fuel Economy" for the manufactured fleet ("CAFE"), but that got subverted by the exclusion of "small trucks" which led to the explosion of Stupid Urban Vehicles and pick-'em-up-trucks (aka "testosterone trucks") which dominate the roads here today (hilariously, most of which are driven by soccer-moms not burly he-men).
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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Gas prices :?:

When my wife and I were first married, we were paying $0.19 per gallon of regular gas.
"Gas Wars" saw the price go down to $0.12 - $0.15 per gallon. I ended up paying upwards
of $0.28 per gallon on our honeymoon in June of 1972. I could fill my tank for $5.00 +/-
and rarely put $8.00 for a full tank. Now, I pay $50.00 - $80.00 to fill my Suburban but
it has a 42 gallon tank instead of 12 that my '63 Dodge Dart Wagon had.

During the lock down, I get between 1 and 2 months on a tank where as when I was still
working, I'ld get 2 weeks on a tank, driving around 600 miles in a 2 week time period.

The most I've paid to fill my truck was $160.00 back when the price was close to $4.50
per gallon. That REALLY hurt the ol' pocket book but, I had to get to & from work.

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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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I passed my driving test in 1972 when I was still 17 but didn't get my first car, an Austin A40, until I was 18. Petrol was about 35p/gallon.
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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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I bought my first car, a 1966 Triumph Vitesse brand new. I was based in Putney and my favourite fill-up garage in Mortlake sold 4-star petrol for five shillings a gallon. That meant that One Pound bought four Imperial gallons. This stayed more-or-less the same until after decimalisation in early 1971 when inflation took off, big time. Five shillings by the way became 25 Pence after decimalisation, but by then you wouldn't get a gallon of petrol for it!
By 1976 petrol hit a Pound a gallon, if I remember rightly.

In 1966 Harold Wilson was helming a Labour Downing St and had introduced a cap of £50 on the amount you could take abroad. My companion for a month-long motoring odyssey to Turkey flew over from Dublin to join me and he wasn't so restricted. Just as well!

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Re: East coast fuel shortage

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Ohhhhhhhh........... when I was young ............. I drove an A model Ford and 1923 Dodge 4 which would run happily on power kerosine, which tractors used to use. Because of the agricultural use it had no road taxes on it and was at best 18c a gallon. The only problem was that one could not start a cold engine on power kero so there was much rigmarole to get underway and became the reason I was one of the fastest puncture menders when on the road.

Lets look forward to solar charged, electric cars and we will only be complaining about cloudy days ........... which many do now anyway.
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