Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Its about $2.90/gal here. On a business trip I saw it for $2.72/gal in SC. I have noticed E85 (an ethanol blend) pop up at a few stations. I heard ethanol is more expensive to produce than gasoline (I am sure it will come down in time..). Problem is that it raises feed prices, causing a ripple effect. There is an effort to produce enzymes (cheaply) that convert crop waste into a fuel...

GB

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

As always your insight is "helpful." The overall point with gas prices being the social trap that's been created to force people to need it. Unless you think for some reason we haven't been able to come up with anything better for 100 years.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

From the gas company side:

http://www.conocophillips.com/newsro...il_profits.htm

Looking for an opposing link right now...

This one is ok: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...toryId=5367090

Still haven't found a good site that opposes the oil viewpoint with good data.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

It is a tough situation. They tried to tax the oil companies more in the past (1980) and it had the effect of decreasing domestic production and increasing foreign dependence, which isn't what we want.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/news/show/1168.html

An alternative energy source is preferable and they are at least starting to look at things like Ethanol. Now Ethanol is not the best solution but progress will not be made overnight.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

The problem with the oil company "support" article is that they fail to take into account that their "modest" price increases and maintainence factors into just about every other category of expense they claim is higher because of transportation costs.

As for foreign dependance, one of the biggest problems America has is thinking it can produce everything and fully support itself. No economy can do that, we only want to think we can with oil because we've pissed off all the major suppliers of oil.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

We probably cannot produce everything by ourselves, but I think that is a good goal to strive for. Ethonal might be a good idea for us then. We grow a lot of food (i.e. corn) and we are strong in pharmaceuticals/genetic engineering. I would hope we can use that to our advantage in producing plenty of ethonal. There are a bunch of issues right now with corn Ethonal but its a start. I think a Prius that runs on E85 would be a good thing.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Ethanol will be a nice stepping stone, but I don't believe it's the "wave of the future." The cost of production for ethanol limiting on how effective it will be right now, unless as you mentioned we engineer something to reduce that.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Yep, its a start and thats exciting. I think Gas prices will be high for a long time now. It is gonna cost $$$ to convert to a non-oil based infrastructure.

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Hah, here in Norway we've been at $4'ish/gal for years O_O

Re: OT: Gas Prices
 

Yes, but there should have been alternatives for a long time now. We're the only developed country out there that hasn't been concerned with fuel economy and the US is also the only country that didn't do the right thing after the gas shortage of the 70's.