Diesel prices

[c214dick]

I just drove down to Midway airport southwest of downtown Chicago. FYI Chicago/Cook county has additional taxes on gas/fuel in addition to the state/feds. As I approached one gas station I was upset by the 399.9 price that I saw for diesel. However, 1 block later it was 429.9.

Boy was I happy that I was driving my wife's van and even happier when I got home and topped off my truck at 355.9.

YIKES!!!!!! At this rate we may spend our camping season, with our new unit, in our driveway. NOT

[KJReynolds]

Know what you mean. We've in southern California and we're at $3.99 also. Bob and I are going fulltime in May. He says we'll go short distances and stay for extended periods of time. I figure we'll finishing seeing the country about the time my youngest grandson graduates college...14 years or so. Come to think of it...that could be a good thing

[Icehouse]

I guess it's not as bad here as we thought. Seward is $3.90 for diesel and just a few cents less for gas. And ya know, when we bought that diesel truck it was because diesel was cheaper than gas. Could be worse, I could still be in the AK bush paying over $5.00 a gallon for gas. We won't discuss the price of diesel there.

[c214dick]

Yea, but you're in Alaska. That's gotta be worth $1 a gallon.

[hazmic]

Boy the oil company's sure jumped on that. Record profits and no new refineries for 25+ years. Now we are going????? to get 600$ and guess who raised prices. What's wrong with this picture?

[Delaine and Lindy]

You better start calling your congressmen now today. Before congress passed a law that let the Trucking industry get Surcharge passed on to the consumer we had a little leverage. Not anymore the just pass it on and the Trucking industry is happy. In years passed when Diesel went up the Trucking industry would start putting pressure on the Goverment. Now thats why Diesel is so expensive. I recomend to everyone to start to budget for $5.00 a gallon for Diesel by this summer. And get after the Dems to let our Country go after the Oil that we know for sure thats there. Drill in the Gulf, Anwar and on the coast of Cal. I say the President should drop the Tax on Diesel for 5 years and give big oil big Tax incentive's to build more refineries now. And in 10 years we wouldn't need Arab oil. If we don't do something now we will be at the mercy of the Arabs like we are now. Call your Congress person now, better still write them. Good Luck. GBY.....

[Waynem]

I paid $3.42 today. Guess I should say I'm happier than y'all. (USLD at that)

What is shocking is the Mobil/Exxon CEO resigns and get a $450 MILLION dollar severance.

Exxon/Mobile I think reported $72 BILLION dollar profit either last quarter or last year (Missied that part)

[richfaa]

Here is what puzzles me..We are in or on the verge of a recession. Mortgage foreclosures are at a all time high. The economy is flat.Folks are being laid off at a record rate. Because of all that oil prices go UP..... I don't get it???

[Jerzy54]

All I can say is "CORPORATE GREED". The government who lost the touch with people. Stock market who cares about profit and only profit.
Bunch the speculators playing price game with energy stock. I would not blame the Arabs for the price spike they only take the advantage
of this madness, and because our government play the game keeping the truckers happy with the surcharges nothing can be done here.
All we have to do is to shut up and take it or leave it. Let give a couple years when all RV and boating industry will go out of business,
because people can't afford to pay for fuel.
Sorry for a gloomy post,but I can help it. Here in NY diesel is $3.99-4.05 a gallon.

[Amps]

Here in Ottawa Ontario Canada I just paid $4.70 To think that we actually export oil and we end up paying more than those who actually import from us. But these prices include a lot of taxes.
Did you know that 18% of the oil imported by the US is actually from Canada vice 15% from Saudi Arabia.

[Montana Sky]

I am glad I have the opportunity to own a luxury vehicle that is towed by an amazing tow vehicle. I guess it all comes back to choices, priorities, and lifestyle...

[richfaa]

Good point amps http://www.eia.doe.gov
/pub/oil_gas/
petroleum/data_publications/company_level_
imports/current/import.html

Note that Canada is the # 1 importer of Oil and Mexico is # 4 Both of those countries are right here in North America. We use more energy than any other country in the world and as post on this forum and others indicate we don't care how much it cost we will not cut back or conserve.If we do not care why should anybody else.

[waldo238]

It was 44.6 Billion and 11 Billion just in the last quarter. Infact Exxon has reported the highest ever in the history of profit for a single US company. You are all right, it is nothing but corporate ?&*% greed!

[tom41]

Rich, you told it right!! I do think we all care, most of us will find ways to cut traveling costs in other ways, even slowing down a little and getting more MPH, or $$PM. Like Waldo said its all about greed.
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=t6otqx&s=3

[Steve and Brenda]

Woah, from a Texan that lives in the middle of the oil patch I have to chime in. Think about this, just who sets the price for the oil that is pumped out of the ground? Exxon? Conoco? No, the price is set by white collar speculators in the commodities markets based in Chicago and New York City. All the oil producers do, after spending billions in research geology, deep sea drilling platforms, dry wells, etc., is supply a product which is in demand by the United States, CHINA AND INDIA. Supply and demand my fellow travelers, we're not the only mass consumer any more. China now prefers a Buick over a bicycle and India manufactures their own line of automobiles. All those cheap plastic Chinese toys are made from petro-chemicals by the way.

What would a congressional investigation do other than make the 'man' squirm while giving testimony to a panel? Its easy to say Exxon made almost $40 billion in profit but as a percentage they made less than WalMart, equaled Apple and Merck. They also paid $30 billion in taxes. Not only do we hungry Americans import oil but we also import GASOLINE these days because we've not built a refinery since Jimmy Carter was in the White House. We can thank Congress for that, not the suppliers of petroleum energy. We had a refinery fire in the local area last week, that shrank our already strained refining capacity thereby raising the price of all products. Couple that with not being able to search for domestic sources of crude thanks to our tree hugging representatives and one wonders why energy is not more expensive.

Sorry guys and gals for sounding bitter about fuel prices. When the oil market collapsed and prices fell in the 1980s and this area of Texas was destitute, whole families abandoned everything in place and moved away. For almost a decade here it cost more for the barrel than for the oil in it. Nobody called for investigations because American Airlines fails to lower their ticket price when the price of oil falls.

Rich, just to clarify, those countries are not importing but EXPORTING the oil to the United States. Canada is our number one supplier of foreign oil.

[c214dick]

Among other things I still think the most obvious is conserving fuel consumption by slowing down. It worked before and can work again. Personally I watched and checked my fuel consumption based on highway speed. The faster I go, over 58 mph, the more I use. If the fed will not mandate a maximum speed limit than we have to, voluntarily. Like was said before it's all about choices. If you choose to drive 70 mph than you choose to pay more.

[richfaa]

Quote "While most Americans fuel their cars with gasoline, most of the products they buy are transported by trucks, trains and ships that burn diesel. While gas prices are unlikely to rise as high as $4 a gallon, diesel may well pass that psychologically important level this spring, boosting prices of nectarines, computers, clothing and virtually every other consumer product, said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at the Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J.

"It's everything that gets shipped," Kloza said of diesel fuel's impact on the economy. "That is the one that is much scarier"

"Rich, just to clarify, those countries are not importing but EXPORTING the oil to the United States. Canada is our number one supplier of foreign oil.' OOpps///I read it right but said it wrong.

The subject fires me up We will blame everyone but where the blame lies..Us our government and our policies.Most of the greed lies with the folks who manipulate the Commodities market and that is us..I do not entirely blame the oil companies for the large profits..If we will buy at any prices..why not. Steve& Brenda...That is a fine post..but no body wants to hear that.it is easier to blame anyone else.

[stiles watson]

Gee, we can spend a lot of time pontificating about who is at fault for the diesel prices. They are inordinately and unreasonably high as are crude prices. The reasons are multiple including politics, circumstance, betrayal, and human greed at all levels.

I really don't care who is at fault. I want it to be fixed. I think the "fix" requires changes from both the supply side and the consumption side. I am pessimistic. Regardless of who gains the White House, the interests of the nation will not be served.

[MacDR50]

Demand is growing. Supply is not keeping pace. Prices will rise. Demand will eventually have to drop but it may not be fast enough to affect price. The answer is alternative energy sources and the technology is there but the price ratio and the will is not yet there to make it happen. Simple economics.

[mail2us]

Stiles is on point in that whomever is elected this Fall, change to our Energy policies will either come slowly or not at all.
Diesel costs more today due to refining of a product that required minimal refining before 2007 EPA kick-in on low sulphur. Rich is correct in that we are generally part of the problem equation. Big Oil is also being subsidized by the Federal government and those subsidies should be addressed, adjusted or eliminated.
We should drill off the Gulf of Mexico and in Alaska. We often compliment ourselves as a nation on how great we are, how intelligent we are as a nation, etc. Yet we withdraw politically when it comes to drilling in what many call sensitive areas. Canada provides oil. Is it a polluted nation? No. We are larger than Canada yet cannot come to grips with drilling and using the latest technology to maintain a clean enviroment and still get domestic oil. I also don't buy into the notion that because Big Oil took a terrible hit in the 80's it can now go about wreaking havoc on our nation in terms of exhorbitant profits. I maybe mistaken, but I believe Canada oil comes from shale and not drilling which may scorch land but drilling error could have more area impact. Another topic perhaps. Dennis