Why are gasoline prices still going up . . . ????

[defendandprotect]

Oil slips below $35 as global markets slump

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090217/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices

Close to $1.80 here in Central NJ ---

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Smirk" - Republicon Homelander Oil Cronies

[flvegan]

2. Refineries have had production cut to improve sagging profits.

Seriously.

Manipulation, we have it.

[GA_ArmyVet]

20. Because the value of the dollar is dropping

like a rock. That happens when you just print money you don't have, to pays bills other people ran up.

[Richardo]

3. They're shutting down whole refineries for turn-arounds

It's a seasonal thing, getting ready for the summer formulations and doing routine maintenance. Usually they try to take as little capacity out of the system as possible, but now I guess they figure since demand is so low, why not completely shutter some capacity and drive prices up...

[Horse with no Name]

19. That's what they say anyway

:rofl:

[ipfilter]

4. Don't pay much attention to the price of crude.

Gasoline has it's own futures contracts. Watching crude to determine the price of gas is like trying to guess the price of oranges from bananas.

Look to the RBOB gasoline future. It's down today.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=RBH09.NYM

[global1]

5. I Heard Yesterday On The Radio - That Because Prices Have Gone Down......

usage has gone up again - and we're facing a supply/demand situation - which it pushing the prices up. Let's face it - they always have some sort of explanation to fleece us.

This won't stop until we become oil independent.

[NeedleCast]

8. That's technically correct

I still think a lot of it has to do with price testing and gouging by big oil, but that's generally what's going on. Demand went down when gas prices peaked. Price of oil plummets and oil producing countries lower production to push the price per barrel back up. Lots of refineries have lowered production as well, meaning a lot of oil is just sitting round not getting turned into gasoline.

[DJ13]

6. Because like crude oil, gas can be restricted to the market

Which pushes the price up due to lower supplies.

Much like the energy "crisis" the nation went through a couple of years after Enron showed the suppliers how to increase profits by curtailing supply in California, the refiners have adopted the same "we need to do maintenance" excuse the oil companies have used here in California for the last 10 years.

[NeedleCast]

7. Because Production is very low

[4 t 4]

10. Very simple

we are being ripped off !

[NeedleCast]

11. I guess that's one way of looking at it

Then again it takes two people to fulfill the process of being ripped off. In a situation in which people understand they're paying too much for something but continue to pay for it...well, I can only blame the person doing the ripping so far.

I'm not saying we aren't being ripped off, but our society as a whole shares some of the blame for that.

[DJ13]

12. Gasoline is a non-discretionary necessity for most people

Most of the US doesnt have the mass transportation available to allow them the choice of buying gas or not.

[NeedleCast]

14. That's true, but most do have a choice in what they drive

and they have a choice to demand an alternative to cars powered by gasoline. People (in general) spent the better part of a decade gobbling up SUVs and then came to work whining about "OMG it took me 100 dollars to fill up today!" Well, that's because you're a dumbass. You bought a vehicle that gets 10 MPG despite the fact that you're a single person of parent of one. Hey, I'm all about choice and the right to drive an SUV but sometimes you get what you pay for.

Nor have we held politicians accountable for basically letting oil companies charge whatever the hell they wanted. Until this economic downturn hit, we really didn't care, as a whole. The population in generaly didn't put much, if any, pressure on auto-makers to provide alternatives.

[carlyhippy]

22. I wish I lived where there was mass transit

I wouldn't even own a vehicle, no parking, no responsibilty, no gas, no insurance.

[Initech]

9. I'd be glad to pay $1.80. Almost $2.40 in La La Land.

And that's because Ahnuld figured that the best way to raise money is another gas tax hike. Fuck the Terminator, seriously.

[rurallib]

13. to add to what others said, quietly in the late '80s oil companies bought

up independent refiners so that nasty overproduction problem would never happen again. Moyers did a great piece on this a couple years ago.
When oil companies say they are refining at capacity, they don't mention all the independent refineries that they now own that could easily be opened and online quickly. When they claim environmentalists won't let them build, they don't mention the independent refineries they shut down that were once totally environmentally legal.
Stated simply, they still have us by the balls and they like to squeeze us now and then to remind us who is in charge.

[defendandprotect]

16. Didn't know that . . .

of course, they always have some kind of game playing going on --

from floating oil out at sea until prices work in their favor --

to shutting down refineries -- theirs and anyone else's.

Personally, I think we should nationalize the oil industry --

In fact, we should nationalize ALL of capitalism --

kill it before it kills us!

[indygowoman]

15. They are that low! Around here, they're been over $2 for awhile

(Answer to your question: you are being jerked around.)

[tabbycat31]

17. I'm wondering that too

also in central NJ and paid $1.91 today for plus (older car, mechanic told me to use plus).

The prices never reached $4 here unless you count the more expensive stations.

[bigwillq]

18. I paid $1.99/gal for reg in CT

And I said the same thing "Why is it going up"?

[carlyhippy]

21. went up .10 today

I guess I had better bite the bullet and fill up the vehicles now before the insanity hits.