This image again reminds me of our dependence on oil from unstable mideast countries. My son owns Ad Astra Oil, a company that pumps and drills for oil in Kansas - they drilled and hit oil in January. You can get his perspective on the rising price of oil on a video, produced by a local TV station, at his company's website. The future is not stable for gas prices but I am hopeful that small oil companies like his can help keep prices lower in the long run. I guess only time will tell.
We in Kansas City are paying a bit over $3 a gallon. I heard that gas prices may hit $5 a gallon this summer. What are you paying for gas where you live?
Here in Longview, WA we are paying, as of last night, 3.45. It goes up each day now.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, in Colby it varied from different gas stations. $3.17-$3.22. In our little town, it was $3.25. We don't buy the gas in our town.
ReplyDeleteWe go the the east coast every year to see our step-dad, and I'll bet gas will be close to $5/gal before we get home again. It is still cheaper for us to drive than fly, and there is no 'groping'.
Missouri Bob, you should look up the recent news on what the Saudi's announced. To try to prevent any possible uprising they are spending billions on their people for all sorts of things. It may or may not work, and if Saudi Arabia turns into Libya then who knows where prices will go.
ReplyDeleteDrilling more domestic oil is not the solution, but will help with relief and "ease" in our transition to different energy sources. My Geologist has a pretty good description of it all:
"They have already proven that ethanol is not really an option. It not only gets less mileage per gallon, harder on engines, but it also pollutes the environment more when you consider the diesel, fertilizer, pesticides, and fermenting process attributed.
Wind turbines will never produce consistent energy. Water energy hurts anyone downstream or migratory animals. Sugarcane/switch grass is the same as ethanol. Algae hasn't really proven anything except it's a possibility.
True energy independence is going to be based on the individual. It will be impossible for a nation to force it's entire populous over without hurting every business and family without the financial backing to convert. So if you can convert your house to 90% energy efficiency, then you are becoming independent. The only option in my book to move this way is geothermal energy and an increase in solar technology ability.
Now, I spill that information to lay this out. Oil makes gasoline (yes kiddies there is gas even in your corn gas), lubricants, plastics, Kevlar, greases, polymers, bulletproof glass, fertilizers, chemicals, medicines, electrical coatings, asphalt, and 90% of anything considered energy efficient. So, there is no real way to leave oil alone. People only thing of oil when it hurts them at the gas pump : /"
Not sure what it is today, but yesterday it was right around $3.26- $3.36/gallon. I shudder each time I turn the key.
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