The Risks of Falling Gas Prices

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Never fear America, gasoline prices will continue to be our master until we finally wean ourselves from the oily teat. The question we must ask ourselves is can we convert to alternative energy in time to avoid collapsing our economy. We are slowly embracing alternative energies yet the largest and most lucrative has yet to be exploited, that of hydrogen fuel cells. While there are a few fuel cell sutomobiles and fueling stations nobody is noticing or jumping for joy all because big oil controls the media and government and they have yet to finish wringing out America's last dimes from our faltering economy. Shell Hydrogen has built ONE public hydrogen fueling station in West LA as a token gesture of comittment, the DOE has slashed funding of hydrogen initiatives and auto companies lease fuel cell vehicles to celebrites only in areas with a fuelng station at present only LA & Washington. America has the capability to boost our economy by replacing all our vehicles with fuel cells and ridding ourselves of OPEC forever not to mention annual Hurricane threats yet nobody is calling for hydrogen fueling stations nor vehicles. So what's the deal America, do we like OPEC and hurricanes too much to change???

Ray Fisher of NM 11:34AM September 10, 2008

Somehow I find it difficult to imagine a downside to paying less for gas. Give me a break.

realityknocking of KS 2:51PM September 09, 2008

Weaning Americans off of gas guzzling cars, an already slow trend will take a lot less time than weaning them off their craving for gas guzzling houses. The houses are bigger, less efficient and filled with inefficiently used electronic devices. Think of all the twits that leave their PCs and monitors going 24/7 to avoid the few minutes boot time. And what good is it to get a 50% more efficient heating cooling system if you're heating and cooling 100% more house. Energy independence. The dream that's always 50 years into the future.

Rick Evans of MA 6:31PM September 03, 2008

this sucks bc the prices is so high

esji6r4 of CA 9:04AM August 23, 2008

It has been observed that there are many reasons given for the
rise in oil prices: damage to infrastructures, low production,
low stockpiles, speculation, etc, etc. All of these have, with exception of speculation, been with us for many years without the fast and furious rise in the past few months. Traders and speculators have now been the most egregious. The United States government in league with the G8 nations are driving the price for their own reasons. We(the uninformed and naive citizens of the world)are being lied to. With natural disasters, wars around the world and tax breaks to lull the naive, our government must come up with money to pay for it all. The oil companies in cahoots raise the price of oil, siphon off an increasing percentage of profit to our government. Our allies in the wars in Iraq and Afganistan also have huge expenses. So, they go along wih this secret conspiracy.Saudi Arabia is an ally of the U.S. but its leaders are not our friends. They hate the West and the non-Muslim cultures. But Al-Qaida is a sworn enemy of the Saudi royal family. It is in their best interest to have the U.S. Armed Forces fighting Al-Qaida and spin off extremists. So,
Saudi Arabia goes along with the Oil Price Conspiracy and siphons off a growing percentage of profit to the allies of the U.S. Speculators see a good thing and jump in to make a profit while the good times last. Mutual Fund Managers and companies needing money to pay for the growing cost of funding retirement
plans, the U.S. especially, are raking in the money. One major observation creating concern to this writer is the frequent use of opinions given by so called experts, most of whom work in the financial sectors. Prices have conspicuously risen based on a forcast made by an "expert". It is as if they are condoning and encouraging the price increases. All of the reasons given so far have been lies and a coverup for greed, speculation, and a vast disrepect coming from our governments. The quoting of expert opinions of how the price of oil will keep rising and that the decreasing price will hurt our economy should stop. Are you one of the co-conpirators having a stake in the continuing rise of the price of oil? What we, the citizens of the world, need are courageous investigative reporters of the old ink to find the truth, build on these accusations that have been made by this writer and expose the conspirators. And keep reporting and reporting. Go after the so called experts and find what stake they have in seeing the prices increasing. Then expose them to the public. Take government leaders to task and do not stop grilling them. Do not accept their lies. Do not accept what their lacky news outlets are saying. It is time for a rebellion against the lies that the governments are feeding the news media. There is not a shortage of oil. We just have to find where it is. This Earth was built for Man, to provide what we need, it is our nurturer, our Mother Earth. We will have what we need when we need it. When we are obedient to the creator of this Earth, then the Earth gives up its treasures. To say that we are running out of oil and gas is a lie. We are not in the millenium yet, that is the personal rule of Christ on earth for one thousand years. If it comes in the near future, we will have at least one thousand years of Earth's continued existence. We will have what we need when we need it. That means oil and gas as well as everything else.

Anonymous of TX 10:29PM August 12, 2008

It is so hard to learn from the past--especially when it comes to driving our own personal automobile.
There have been spikes in gasoline prices in the past--followed by prices dropping back--well, at least less than the "peak".
So, we rationalize that it could be worse, but isn't and we can learn to live with the lower-than-highest, even if higher-than-before prices because we love to drive our own personal vehicle and we can "adjust" somewhere else in our spending.
But now that the U.S. is dependent on imported oil for transportation of people and goods from one place to another because our internal combustion engines are powered by refined oil, national security is at risk.
We don't need imported oil for "energy" as the politician argue. But we do need imported oil to fuel our internal combustion engines--until we can switch over to alternative renewal fuel sources.
There are a variety of such sources--perhaps the one that will really work the best not even yet on the drawing board.
But we must use all available in the meantime to make the transformation.
While that is taking place, conservation such as used during WWII is the quickest, most effective thing mainstream Americans and businesses can do to make a difference.
Some conservation is already taking place because of the latest spike in gasoline prices (and diesel & jet fuel & heating oil derived from crude oil).
But much more and sustained conservation by everybody is needed until we can eliminate oil products as fuel for the internal combustion engine & jet fuel derived from oil.
If Brazil can (ad has done) can do it--who can believe that the U.S. cannot do it and do it better?

HillbillyBill of TN 10:42AM August 11, 2008

There are many things people can do to use less gasoline, but Americans not living in the Northeast forget that the real gas guzzler here is the house.
Most houses in the Northeast are already well insulated due to the gas shortages in the 1970's. With home heating oil costing as much as diesel ($4.60 a gallon), an average winter takes 800-1000 gallons to heat. I think an average driver doesn't use more than 500-600 gallons of gas a year.
Some homeowners have alternatives - electric heat for parts of the house, wood burning stoves, closing off parts of the house. But basically, home heating oil is a classic case of "inelastic demand" and heating oil that costs $6 a gallon is going to make the states of NY, VT, NH, MA, ME, CT, and RI close to unliveable.

A. E. Reuter of NY 11:24AM August 09, 2008

As soon as global oil production declines this year, oil prices will skyrocket.
According to energy investment banker Matthew Simmons, global oil production is now declining, from 74 million barrels per day to 60 million barrels per day by 2015. During the same time demand will increase 14%.
This is equivalent to a 33% drop in 7 years. No one can reverse this trend, nor can we conserve our way out of this catastrophe. Because the demand for oil is so high, it will always be higher than production; thus the depletion rate will continue until all recoverable oil is extracted.
Alternatives will not even begin to fill the gap. And most alternatives yield electric power, but we need liquid fuels for tractors/combines, 18 wheel trucks, trains, ships, and mining equipment.
We are facing the collapse of the highways that depend on diesel trucks for maintenance of bridges, cleaning culverts to avoid road washouts, snow plowing, roadbed and surface repair. When the highways fail, so will the power grid, as highways carry the parts, transformers, steel for pylons, and high tension cables, all from far away. With the highways out, there will be no food coming in from "outside," and without the power grid virtually nothing works, including home heating, pumping of gasoline and diesel, airports, communications, and automated systems.
This is documented in a free 48 page report that can be downloaded, website posted, distributed, and emailed: http://www.peakoilassociates.com/POAnalysis.html
I used to live in NH, but moved to a sustainable place. Anyone interested in relocating to a nice, pretty, sustainable area with a good climate and good soil? Email: clifford dot wirth at yahoo dot com or give me a phone call which operates here as my old USA-NH number 603-668-4207.

Clifford J. Wirth, Ph.D. of NH 10:32AM August 09, 2008

A MORE SERIOUS REVERSAL OF FORTUNE AWAITS A FEW OIL TOTALITARIANS
http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/08/down-side-for-some-petroleum-suppliers.html
The world has shrunk in the past twenty years, and new doors will open for democracy.

PacificGatePost of WA 8:36PM August 08, 2008