gas prices..how to lower

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Subject: Let's keep Gas prices down! THE FOLLOWING WAS SENT BY AN ECONOMIST WITHIN THE FUEL INDUSTRY. ANOTHER ECONOMICS PROFESSOR AT CAL REITERATED THE SAME LAST WEEK. I THINK IT IS WORTH TRYING. I got this from a reliable source. We heard today from a man who is very savvy about the economy, namely, Clark Howard, and he says that the gas prices are going to start going up again and will be high this summer-$2.00 and up. We need to do whatever we can, and do it NOW!!!! This makes more sense than the don't buy gas on a certain day routine that was going around last year re: Gasoline Prices. Whoever started this has a good point. By now, you're probably thinking gasoline priced at about $1.49 is cheap. Me too, as it is now $1.58 for regular unleaded! Now that the oil companies and the OPEC nations have conditioned us to think that the cost of a gallon of gas is CHEAP at less than $1.50, we need to try an aggressive response. With the price of gasoline going up more each day, we consumers need to take ACTION! The only way we are going to see the price of gas come down is if we don't buy it. But, (as the gas companies know full well, and are counting on), that's not really a practical option since we all have come to rely on our cars. But we CAN have an impact on gas prices if we all act together. Here's the idea: For the rest of this year, don't purchase gasoline from the two biggest companies (which now are one), namely EXXON and MOBIL. You see, if they are not selling, they should be inclined, (i.e., "forced"), to reduce their prices. And, because of their size, and hence market share, if they reduce their prices the other companies will too. (They would HAVE no choice!). Isn't that a "juicy" prospect? But to have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of users. But it's do-able! I am sending this note to my entire address book. If each of you send it to at least 10 more ...and those 10 send it to at least 10 more and so on, by the time the message reaches the sixth iteration, we will have reached over one million consumers. Acting together we can make a difference. If this makes sense to you, please pass this message on, or one you compose, to at least 10 more E-mail addresses. PLEASE HOLD OUT UNTIL THEY LOWER THEIR PRICES TO BELOW $1.28 - $1.29 AND KEEP THEM DOWN. THIS CAN REALLY WORK! If you're not outraged at the price of gasoline, you're not paying attention!

Barbara P. Vicknair 16 Boulevard Street Murphy, N. C. 28906 Telephone Numbers: Business (828)837-8220 Home (828)837-8863 Mobile: (828)507-5391

Lets try and see if it works!! God Bless and have a great week

-- Charles steen (xbeeman412@aol.com), April 24, 2001

Answers

We will see $2.50 before $1.30. I doubt we will ever pay under $1.30 again - ever.

For those on the west coast:

Tuesday April 24 12:54 AM ET Los Angeles Refinery Burns, Supplies Seen Hit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A spectacular fire at a major oil refinery outside Los Angeles sent huge plumes of thick black smoke billowing over three cities on Monday, forcing about 100,000 residents indoors and threatening a huge spike in California gas prices.

For those all across the USA:

Supplies are tight because environmental protection requirements that kick in for spring and summer are forcing more complicated and expensive refining as gasoline is reformulated to produce less smog.

No hikes were reported for Honolulu; Anchorage, Alaska; Portland, Ore.; and Seattle, apparently because their supplies were not required to be reformulated.

That's not all:

High prices for oil and natural gas propelled Exxon Mobil Corp. [NYSE:XOM - news] to a $5 billion first-quarter profit, up nearly 44 percent from a year ago.

IT IS ALL A MATTER OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND. It would be easier to get people to completely give up sex rather than their car!

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), April 24, 2001.

Hey Charles, I got one too this afternoon! It sure won't hurt to try. Steve drives to Louisville to work, about an hour, and it hurts. He only has one rider right now and needs another asap. A trucker friend says we have 7 years reserve for the U.S. and it needs to be opened up now so we won't be at other's mercy.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), April 24, 2001.

Gas prices are supposed to go up by .30 across the country this weekend. I bought $6 of gas today and it only put a bit over 3 gallons in my tank! I thought I'd hold off filling up hoping for the price to go down and then I read that it is going up so I guess I will fill up my tank tomorrow. Anyone got a horse and buggy they'd be willing to swap for a chevy lumina?...lol. I'm about at that point. I absolutely cannot afford to pay that much for gas. I shudder to think how much everything is going to go up in price because of this. It takes lots of petroleum to move the products we buy to their final destination. I don't think everyone fully realizes the impact this will have. Hmmmmm wonder if I can teach my milk cow to pull a cart....it's a thought!

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), April 24, 2001.

IT IS ALL A MATTER OF SUPPLY AND DEMAND. The gas companies supply the gas and demand we pay more for it!!!!!!!!!

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), April 25, 2001.

A good plan on paper, but unfortunately won't work. There are multiple refineries that sell gas to all dealers. You never know who made the gas and the local pump and dump. BUT, here is a method that will work, and it plays right back into the hands of any gas refiner. When you pull into the station only buy 10 gallons. That's it, just 10 gallons. Okay, so you have to stop one extra time a week if you drive a lot. Big deal. Here's why this works. The gas pipe line is just that, a pipeline. The last step is the tanker that delivers to the station. All these oil companies talk about supply and demand. If we only but 10 gallons, instead of 15-18 when we fill up, and a lot of people do it........the gas will start backing back up the pipeline. Supply will exceed demand, and they will have to try to unload gas, because those oil tankers from the Middle East will still be docking off shore. They have to get rid of the excess supply, so the price will come down. Beat them at their own game.

-- Rick Powell (rpowell@email.ccis.edu), April 25, 2001.

Buying 10 gallons each time won't work (besides the fact that I can't fit that much in my car at one time) because you're still buying the same amount of gas, you're just making more purchases of a smaller quantity. Boycotting ExxonMobil won't work because, while Exxon may reduce prices to try to recover market share, no one else will unless they sense that they are actually losing share, which they won't as long as you keep boycotting Exxon. Assuming you could actually get people to boycott Exxon no matter what the price, others could actually raise their prices and retain share because you are refusing to take your business elsewhere.

The only way we're going to be able to reduce the price of gas is to stop using so much of it.

-- Steve - TX (steve.beckman@compaq.com), April 25, 2001.

You folks are all hooked! Instead of trying to figure how how to make prices drop, you need to figure out how to use less gas! How about urban folks supporting public transport, rural folks carpooling to work, people with kids carpool for the afterschool activities, everybody stop making frivolous journeys, keep a comprehensive shopping list so that you can combine errands and save the extra trips to the store, stock up with bulk goods so that you can always find something in the house to eat, make a 1 week menu before you shop for groceries, and walk or ride a bike if you're just going down the road. You won't just save on gas, you'll save on car maintainence and make your car last longer!

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), April 25, 2001.

Well, I don't use a car, though I do have one, and my husband buys from a company other than the two listed, so I guess we're good on that.

I am very seriously considering going diesel. Yes... I have seen the prices on that... I am waiting to see when Eric puts up the stuff about making your own on his website. I should think that making the modifications to a car would be rather simple...

Only one MAJOR problem with my theory... At least in Idaho, if not the whole country, what I intend to do is illegal.

In Idaho, there is 'diesel for cars' and 'diesel for off-road vehicles'. Since I am incredibly ignorant of what that really means, I am assuming what I would be making would fit the latter category. It comes with a $1000 fine each time caught. I'm not even sure if its legal to make the stuff... Guess I should check....... maybe...

Doubt that I could get by on 200 gal per year cause the hubby drives 100 miles per day for work, but if I could get that far, I'm sure I'd find a way.

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), April 25, 2001.

Sue, don't know specifically about Idaho, but generally the difference between 'diesel for cars' and 'diesel for off-road' vehicles is taxes. You pay various Fed and State taxes for use of your vehicle on the roads and farmers don't pay these taxes for their field equipment. Some places have separate pumps, others give a tax rebate to the farmers.

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), April 26, 2001.

Doesn't make much sense to complain about the price of gas when your driving a gas hog or commuting an hour or two to work. Did you ever think that demand is up, which raises prices, because of all the gas hogs and long commutes. Nothing in the bill of rights guarantees cheap gas prices. The best way the consumer has to lower prices in the economy we live in is to lower demand, in my opinion.

-- jz (oz49us@yahoo.com), April 30, 2001.

As one of those who chooses to drive an hour each way to work and home, I reserve the right to complain all I wish about gas prices. I drive an economy car ( approx. 35 mpg) and figuring my gas usage and car payment, even at $2 gas ,I still come out money ahead considering mortage and property tax payments for the same type of property closer in. And I really like my job and the company I work for.

The reality of the situation is that as much as we whine and complain about higher gas prices, the average person who drives 20K miles per year in a car that gets 25 mpg would only incur $400 in increased gasoline expenses for every 50 cent rise in pump prices. Not insignificant, but not back breaking for most.

-- ray s (mmoetc@yahoo.com), April 30, 2001.

first off there are those like my wife whose job requires lots of traveling like 1,414 miles per month. yes she drives a small car, 4 cyclinder. really nothing more than a pregnant roller skate. i drive a 6 cyclinder 3/4 ton truck 10 miles one way to work. we are in the country and there is no way for me to carpool. next, as much as we complain about the price it has yet to fully make its presents felt. we will see a marked increase at the grocery stores, think about it our country is moved by trucks, tractors, and trains all which use petrolumn fuels. even those of us who raise our own food will feel the pinch of increased prices at the grocery stores. how will we get prices down, well if i knew that i would be the most popular or most hated man in the world. all we can do is cut back as much as we can, instead of traveling 500 miles on vacation just visit local sites. this isn't really much help but somehow we will overcome this too, because whatever doesn't kill us only makes us stronger. our fore fathers had to walk or ride if they were lucky. thanks for listening

-- allan ulen (triaxx2@yahoo.com), May 01, 2001.

-- (noneofyour@biz.com), July 13, 2001