Gas

Which Automakers Will Deliver Cleaner Cars?

January 11, 2008 -- The upcoming North American International Auto Show in Detroit will be the first major auto show since new fuel economy standards were signed into law, and automakers will be jockeying to "out-green" their competition. A number of companies are running ad campaigns touting their fuel-efficient fleets, and many are expected to roll out the green carpet next week in the Motor City.    » read more »

January 9, 2008 -- Yesterday was the 73rd anniversary of the birth of Elvis Presley. One of his many hits was the song “Suspicious Minds.” On January 8, EIA released its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), which includes our first short-term forecast for 2009. The STEO projects a moderate decline in oil prices, starting in late 2008 and extending into 2009.    » read more »

01/08/2008 -- BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to launch an investigation into allegations of gas price gouging.    » read more »

January 4, 2008 -- New Hampshire Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte announced today that she will continue to pursue a legal action against manufacturers and refiners of the gasoline additive MtBE, following a new study showing widespread MtBE contamination in New Hampshire’s water supplies.    » read more »

Waiting for the Goods to Arrive

The internet has made holiday shopping much more convenient. From the comfort of their homes, consumers can do lots of research, make their decisions, put up the money, and then simply wait for the goods to arrive on their doorstep. But anxiety can increase as the holiday draws closer and consumers begin to wonder if the goods will arrive on time.    » read more »

Will Oil Prices Continue to Drop?

Despite an increase yesterday, the spot price of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil has dropped over the last three weeks, from nearly $100 per barrel on November 20, to under $90 per barrel for most of last week. So, will crude oil prices continue to drop, and if so, how low might they fall?    » read more »

Where Being Above Average is Undesirable

Many readers are familiar with Garrison Keillor’s phrase used on radio’s “A Prairie Home Companion” series, “Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” The phrase points to the many times we hope and strive to be above average. But in some situations, we prefer below average. This is the case when it comes to local gasoline prices. Consumers would rather be in an area that has below-average prices.    » read more »

"Campaign Trail Mitt Romney Has Forgotten Governor Romney’s Thirst For Higher Gas Taxes"

Nov 30, 2007 -- ROMNEY HIKED GAS TAX BY TWO CENTS PER GALLON    » read more »

Nov. 28, 2007 -- HARRISBURG – Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell today issued the following statement regarding the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund Board’s action to authorize a fee increase:

“I learned of the Underground Storage Tank Indemnification Fund (USTIF) Board's action to authorize a fee increase in press accounts questioning the wisdom of this decision. As you know, the USTIF Board has the complete authority to set these fees. It acted in this case without my consultation.    » read more »

November 30, 2007 -- (BOISE) – Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and officials from the Nez Perce and Kootenai tribes reached agreements this week for the collection and allocation of motor fuel taxes on their respective tribal lands, joining the Coeur d’Alene and Shoshone-Bannock tribes in resolving the issue.    » read more »

Over the River and Through the Woods

As the classic holiday song goes, many Americans will be heading to grandmother’s house or elsewhere tomorrow to share Thanksgiving dinner. However, since very few people will be traveling by horse-drawn sleigh this year, prospective holiday travelers are more likely to be eyeing gasoline prices and wondering just how dear this annual trip will be.    » read more »

Over the River and Through the Woods

As the classic holiday song goes, many Americans will be heading to grandmother’s house or elsewhere tomorrow to share Thanksgiving dinner. However, since very few people will be traveling by horse-drawn sleigh this year, prospective holiday travelers are more likely to be eyeing gasoline prices and wondering just how dear this annual trip will be.    » read more »

20 November 2007 -- Saudi Arabia's national oil company, Aramco, now says a pipeline fire that erupted last Sunday killed 40 people, including six Saudis. Nine workers were hospitalized. Six have been treated and released.

Aramco says the blaze started early Sunday morning while workers were performing maintenance on a natural gas pipeline 30 kilometers from the Hawiyah gas plant.

The fire coincided with the OPEC summit taking place in the capital, Riyadh.

Officials say they have ruled out any possibility of the fire being part of a terrorist attack.    » read more »

Recipe for Change

Like chefs who periodically change their favorite recipes to improve a dish or make use of ingredients that are most readily available and affordable in the current marketplace, petroleum refiners have been changing the recipe, or the component blendstock, of the motor gasoline pool since early 2006.

One of the primary reasons for this change stemmed from petroleum refiners’ decision to replace the gasoline blending component, methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), with ethanol prior to the start of the 2006 summer driving season.    » read more »

15 November 2007 -- OPEC members say an increase in oil output will have no impact on global prices for oil.

Ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries say that current price increases are not related to a shortage of supplies. Producers have blamed a decline in the value of the U.S. dollar for the record oil prices.

OPEC ministers are meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Thursday ahead of a summit of OPEC leaders, which begins on Saturday.    » read more »