xcel
09-06-2006, 03:00 AM
Among the top 14 oil-exporting nations, Norway is the only “well-established liberal democracy.” (http://www.lenconnect.com/articles/2006/09/03/news/news07.txt)
Mark Lenz - Daily Telegram - Sept. 2, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/03_31_06_Oil_Prices.jpg
For Labor Day - Prices down slightly …
It’s a fortunate combination. A Labor Day weekend with gasoline prices below $2.60 per gallon in most of Lenawee County ought to make us happier than a guy who finds a small raise in his paycheck.
It would be easy to kid ourselves that our oil woes are behind us. They’re not. Worldwide demand isn’t dropping, and any price than can dip 35 cents a gallon in three weeks can also go up just as quickly.
But for now prices offer us a discount for hitting the road, enjoying this country and learning something new.
One thing driving across the U.S. can teach us is that the wheels of change are affecting how we drive and the future of fuel.
Take ethanol, an important commodity locally considering corn production in the county and the Riga Township ethanol plant tentatively due to open Jan. 15.
On a recent trip crossing Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska I found nearly every gas station selling a blend of 10-percent ethanol. They didn’t make a big deal about it. In fact I didn’t realize it until the return trip when I noticed I was buying something called “unleaded plus,” which was puzzling because it sold for $2.89 per gallon while basic “unleaded” cost $2.99.
Surprised that “unleaded plus” also had a lower octane, I asked the guy at the counter and was told that the “plus” meant plus 10 percent ethanol.
That might explain why my gas mileage, which averaged 26 mpg for most of the trip, was closer to 24 mpg in Iowa.
However, ethanol will look more attractive if oil prices trend up again. Winter is coming and sanctions against Iran (see a related editorial on this page) may combine to make world oil more expensive than ever.
There’s also a national security issue. Columnist Max Boot noted back in May that among the top 14 oil-exporting nations, Norway is the only “well-established liberal democracy.” If this year’s average price for oil hits $71 per barrel (oil is just below $70 now), “10 autocracies stand to make about $500 billion more than in 2003, when oil was at $27.”
That includes an extra $45 billion this year alone for Iran.
Weighed against that, domestically produced ethanol should play at least a transitionary role in the future of auto fuel.
Of course there are other alternatives:
In California, hybrid car buyers not only receive the federal tax credit, they can also ride in the car pool express lane. Ferndale, according to the Detroit Free Press, will give hybrid owners free parking. That’s not enough incentive for me to be able to afford buying a hybrid, but the vehicles are becoming popular where gas prices are higher.
Biodiesel use is growing in agriculture and other areas. Maintenance crews at Fort Custer National Cemetery outside Battle Creek are testing biobased products and this week listed good results.
Windmills are popping up on farmland, and now reportedly generate enough power for 2.5 million Americans. They can’t power my car, but power not generated by oil takes some pressure off oil prices.
The same is true of nuclear energy, which may make a comeback. I was encouraged to notice the nuclear power station at San Onofre, Calif., on the beach where I camped as a kid, still operating and now rated “TsunamiReady.”
And there’s always walking (which I did to work today) and bicycling. New state laws expanding and clarifying bicyclists’ rights on the road were approved last week. For instance, did you know cyclists are entitled to ride two to a lane?
Many worry our lives are controlled by Big Oil. Filling up in Barstow, Calif., I noticed some stations’ regular gas priced at $3.69. Around the corner it was $3.29. I guess somebody didn’t get the memo.
Mark Lenz - Daily Telegram - Sept. 2, 2006
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/03_31_06_Oil_Prices.jpg
For Labor Day - Prices down slightly …
It’s a fortunate combination. A Labor Day weekend with gasoline prices below $2.60 per gallon in most of Lenawee County ought to make us happier than a guy who finds a small raise in his paycheck.
It would be easy to kid ourselves that our oil woes are behind us. They’re not. Worldwide demand isn’t dropping, and any price than can dip 35 cents a gallon in three weeks can also go up just as quickly.
But for now prices offer us a discount for hitting the road, enjoying this country and learning something new.
One thing driving across the U.S. can teach us is that the wheels of change are affecting how we drive and the future of fuel.
Take ethanol, an important commodity locally considering corn production in the county and the Riga Township ethanol plant tentatively due to open Jan. 15.
On a recent trip crossing Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska I found nearly every gas station selling a blend of 10-percent ethanol. They didn’t make a big deal about it. In fact I didn’t realize it until the return trip when I noticed I was buying something called “unleaded plus,” which was puzzling because it sold for $2.89 per gallon while basic “unleaded” cost $2.99.
Surprised that “unleaded plus” also had a lower octane, I asked the guy at the counter and was told that the “plus” meant plus 10 percent ethanol.
That might explain why my gas mileage, which averaged 26 mpg for most of the trip, was closer to 24 mpg in Iowa.
However, ethanol will look more attractive if oil prices trend up again. Winter is coming and sanctions against Iran (see a related editorial on this page) may combine to make world oil more expensive than ever.
There’s also a national security issue. Columnist Max Boot noted back in May that among the top 14 oil-exporting nations, Norway is the only “well-established liberal democracy.” If this year’s average price for oil hits $71 per barrel (oil is just below $70 now), “10 autocracies stand to make about $500 billion more than in 2003, when oil was at $27.”
That includes an extra $45 billion this year alone for Iran.
Weighed against that, domestically produced ethanol should play at least a transitionary role in the future of auto fuel.
Of course there are other alternatives:
In California, hybrid car buyers not only receive the federal tax credit, they can also ride in the car pool express lane. Ferndale, according to the Detroit Free Press, will give hybrid owners free parking. That’s not enough incentive for me to be able to afford buying a hybrid, but the vehicles are becoming popular where gas prices are higher.
Biodiesel use is growing in agriculture and other areas. Maintenance crews at Fort Custer National Cemetery outside Battle Creek are testing biobased products and this week listed good results.
Windmills are popping up on farmland, and now reportedly generate enough power for 2.5 million Americans. They can’t power my car, but power not generated by oil takes some pressure off oil prices.
The same is true of nuclear energy, which may make a comeback. I was encouraged to notice the nuclear power station at San Onofre, Calif., on the beach where I camped as a kid, still operating and now rated “TsunamiReady.”
And there’s always walking (which I did to work today) and bicycling. New state laws expanding and clarifying bicyclists’ rights on the road were approved last week. For instance, did you know cyclists are entitled to ride two to a lane?
Many worry our lives are controlled by Big Oil. Filling up in Barstow, Calif., I noticed some stations’ regular gas priced at $3.69. Around the corner it was $3.29. I guess somebody didn’t get the memo.