Thread: What's up? Gas Prices Down???

For those commenting on electrolytic splitting of hydrogen from water, there is a huge problem that limits the feasibility of such systems: battery power. The lead acid battery arrays required to provide the necessary potential to electrolyze water are heavy, bulky, and create HUGE disposal issues.

Feel good guys......lowest around here is 2.77. Taxes!!!!! I don't know why ours hasn't dropped more. Ever since we had the honor of the most expensive gas in the country....they've wanted to keep hold of that spot. They're probably tripping over themselves trying to figure out what to do with this tax windfall.

My local stations (Chevron and Philips 66) are at $2.27 for regular, $2.47 for premium. Both have up to 10% ethanol.

Think we busted Mickey Mouse ears on his graph. Liars figure and figures lie. The Austin statesman ran an article about how the new acting police chief (a black woman) was trying to figure out why our P.D. Used 7% more physical restraint on blacks this year. For one thing Austin has few black people and 7% is not statistically significant. But the real answer was given by Kinky Friedman. When asked about escalating crime in Houston last year he said it's simple; hurricane Katrina. A lot of people felt that was very un-p c. I admired a would be politician for stating a true fact without sugar coating or avoiding the issue.

Originally Posted by CrocketsGhost

LOL!!! The reason that domestic oil production has dropped is purely economic. Adjust domestic oil prices for inflation and you will see that the fall-off has nothing to do with supply, but rather with the relative cost of production relative to OPEC states coupled with pressures from environmental groups to limit offshore production.

My point exactly. When you first produce a well it produces about 100 barrels of oil per barrel used to produce it. This is called Energy return on energy invested. As the field ages the ratio drops and as it reaches about 5 to 1 the field is usually shut in as due to the economic reasons. Then the slack is taken up somewhere else that has reserves that are cheap to produce... as in the middle east in the 70's. So where do we go when the middle east starts to decline?

Originally Posted by CrocketsGhost

As for your claim that oil comes from algae, there is absolutely no proof of that oft-repeated claim. The existence of biological markers in petroleum means nothing because those materials can be introduced by anaerobic bacteria. The Russians, for example, have long rejected the concept of "fossil fuels." Do yourself a favor and read The Deep Hot Biosphere by Thomas Gold.

Yes, neither of us are geologist (I think). What matters is, if we don't discover at least as much oil as we use the system is not sustainable.



Why are we not finding this abiotic oil? Until we are discover more oil than we are producing I can't be convinced that we are not headed for disaster.

Originally Posted by TexasCowgirl

Daculling, what you are saying justifies a price increase. I'm pretty sure our demand hasn't changed, so the supply must have increased OR we were getting massively ripped off. I vote for the latter.

I think our evil leaders have been surprised how much we have been complaining. I don't care if gas does down to .99 a gallon, I still want illgals deported and no trans-texas corridor.

Well, it's really complex how oil is priced but it is open market and the price depends on economic forecasts, hurricanes, peace in the middle east etc. It's mostly driven by futures trading which can be a lot like gambling.... this little blurb here will give you a better idea then I could describe...


http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060915.html

Originally Posted by andyt

Think we busted Mickey Mouse ears on his graph. Liars figure and figures lie. The Austin statesman ran an article about how the new acting police chief (a black woman) was trying to figure out why our P.D. Used 7% more physical restraint on blacks this year. For one thing Austin has few black people and 7% is not statistically significant. But the real answer was given by Kinky Friedman. When asked about escalating crime in Houston last year he said it's simple; hurricane Katrina. A lot of people felt that was very un-p c. I admired a would be politician for stating a true fact without sugar coating or avoiding the issue.

I'm not sure what your trying to say but I think it's that....

There are liars.
Damn liars.
And then there are statics.


I agree with you to a point but it's hard to make a valid argument in a data vacuum. And picture equals a thousand words. That coupled with my writing ability means I'll continue to use graphs where appropriate.

Originally Posted by CrocketsGhost

For those commenting on electrolytic splitting of hydrogen from water, there is a huge problem that limits the feasibility of such systems: battery power. The lead acid battery arrays required to provide the necessary potential to electrolyze water are heavy, bulky, and create HUGE disposal issues.

Yes, if it was easy we would be already doing it hence our continued reliance on petroleum. Absolutely nothing compares to it's energy density, easy of transport or value as feed stock for other products.

Originally Posted by andyt

I'm no geologist and I have no dog in this fight other than I like to drive as cheaply as possible, but Dasculling your graph doesn't tell the whole story and you should know that. When Opec dumped cheap gas on the U.S. It almost ruined the economy of Texas.

Yes, it was tough to be in the oil business in Texas... but it saved the US economy as a whole.

Originally Posted by andyt

I've driven past miles of oilfield equipment in the Midland Odessa area that was just sitting there rusting away. Now that prices are so high the equipment is being bought up.

Yea, look at the graph. That bump after the peak is Prudhoe Bay coming online and towards the end it starts to flatten out instead of decline. Can it increase? Here's hoping.

Originally Posted by Judy

Dasculling...I didn't mean the supply of it...I mean the demand and purchase for it. The price at our pump is based upon what we are willing to pay for it....here Our market here determines the price...unless of course...that market is being manipulated as I believe it was during the past 2 years by our Dear Beloved Oil Companies.

You could very well be right on the local marketing. When I see a price swing of $.15 or more within a three mile drive I kinda wonder also. Could be the real estate value but certainly towards the affluent areas the price is much higher.