Oil Slick Stuff

Re: Thanks for the Gas mileage increase!!

According to the quoted text in red, I can only assume that your are using E85 fuel in your Toyota. Was it engineered to run on E85, or is this just your own experiment to test if it would? (or, maybe I'm completely off track)


Thanks for your input!!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO THE TSP TEAM!!!
 
Oil and Gas finished UP today. Oil broke above $40!:nuts:
Settle 44.60 +5.57
 
My total purchases of FUEL this year were:
Total Quantity 984.865
Purchased (Gallons) Total : $2,989.44
Cost ($) Average : $2.985
Economy (MPG) : 23.51 MPG
Fill-ups #: 125

Of that 984 gallons of fuel, about 150 of it was gasoline.

So a $2 A GALLON TAX would have cost me a total of $300 this year- or about 10% of my total fuel bill for the year.

Here is my MPG for the year:

And here is my total fuel bill for the year, broken down by month. Note the dramatic fall off since August.​





I'm not "URBAN" at all. I live out in the country, and have a 45 mile commute each way to work.​




I drove 23,555 miles in my own car this year. I used 984 gallons of fuel. Of that, only 150 or so was gasoline.​



So in reality, this year, since January 1, 2008, I got 157 miles per gallon of gasoline.​






BAH!..Voodoo mathematics...You need a life..Counting every dime spent at the pump is verging on OCD..:worried::D
 
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Oil out with a bang with 14% spike:mad:

Crude prices rally near the close of trade as Russia moves to cut off natural gas supplies to Ukraine.

By Ben Rooney, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: December 31, 2008: 5:22 PM ET


chart_oil_1_year.03.gif


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The price of oil jumped Wednesday, capping a volatile year with a swing of $7 from the session low to the close, as investors responded to news of a possible supply disruption in Europe.
Light, sweet crude for February delivery rose $5.57, or 14.2%, to settle at $44.60 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
U.S. markets will be closed Thursday for the New Year's holiday and many market participants were off Wednesday - factors that amplify small moves in the market.
The rally picked up steam in the afternoon following reports that Russian energy giant Gazprom will cut off gas supplies to neighboring Ukraine beginning Thursday because of a dispute over unpaid bills. The supply disruption could effect energy prices in western European markets.
But the implications of Russia's decision are not immediately clear and the market may be overreacting, according to Peter Beutel, oil analyst at Cameron Hanover.
"On a day that was very thinly traded, people were looking for anything that they could grab on to," Beutel said. He added that much of the buying was "short covering," which involves unwinding bets that an asset price will decline.
2008: For the year, oil prices are down 61%, compared with a 57% increase in 2007. The staggering decline comes in the same year that saw oil spiking to an all-time high.[more]
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/31/markets/oil/index.htm?postversion=2008123117
 
Gas prices: Waayy up, waayy down

Price volatility 'unprecedented' in 2008. A gallon surged to record $4.11 in July - now down to near $1.62.

By Aaron Smith, CNNMoney.com staff writer
Last Updated: January 1, 2009: 8:17 AM ET

gas_chart.03.jpg


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- This is a year drivers will never forget - gas prices surged and crashed at unprecedented levels.



"We've never had a year where we had these extremes - 2008 was really a tale of two markets," said Ben Brockwell, director of data pricing for the Oil Price Information Service.
Gas hit a record price $4.114 per gallon on July 17, according to a nationwide average from the motorist information group AAA. That's a 28% jump from the year-ago average of $3.043.
But, since hitting its summertime peak, the price has plunged nearly 60%, ending the year at $1.617. On Thursday, AAA reported the national average was up 0.1 cent to $1.618 a gallon.
The demand for gas dropped in tandem with the crashing economy. Drivers left their cars at home and took public transportation to work. Instead of road trips, they took low-budget 'staycations.'
"As far as '08 and gas prices, I'd have to say it was a year without historical precedent," said Robert Sinclair, AAA spokesman for the New York area. "This extreme swing is reflective, I think, of the power of the motorist to dictate the market."
What goes up, must come down [more]
http://money.cnn.com/2008/12/31/news/economy/gas_price_2008/index.htm?postversion=2009010108
 
I'll take the Mazola flight, sounds like fun!!:D
Watch out for that Mazola Oil SLICK!!

Vegetable oil tested on NZ flight

The Air New Zealand vegetable oil jet makes its maiden flight

A passenger plane has successfully completed a two-hour test flight partly powered by vegetable oil.
Air New Zealand hailed the flight as a "milestone" in the development of sustainable fuels that could lower aeroplane emissions and cut costs.
One engine of the Boeing 747-400 was fueled by a 50-50 mixture of jatropha plant oil and standard A1 jet fuel.
A Virgin Atlantic test flight in February used fuel derived from a blend of Brazilian babassu nuts and coconuts.
In Auckland on Tuesday, a range of tests were completed both on the ground and during the flight, said Air New Zealand Chief Pilot David Morgan. He said the oil from the plum-sized jatropha fruit performed "well through both the fuel system and engine". Fewer emissions [more]
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7805499.stm

More slick stuff
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7259004.stm
 
Bio Fuel a two edged sword!!

Biofuels 'are not a magic bullet'

By Richard Black
Environment correspondent, BBC News website
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Biofuel crops can vary widely in their climate benefits

Biofuels may play a role in curbing climate change, says Britain's Royal Society, but may create environmental problems unless implemented with care.
In a new report, the Society suggests current EU and UK policies are not guaranteed to reduce emissions.
It advocates more research into all aspects of biofuel production and use.
The report says the British government should use financial incentives to ensure companies adopt cutting-edge and carbon-efficient technologies.
"Biofuels could play an important role in cutting greenhouse gas emissions from transport, both in Britain and globally," said Professor John Pickett from Rothamsted Research, who chaired the Royal Society's study.
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Nature has provided countless potential solutions in organisms as diverse as cows and microbes

Dianna Bowles, York University

"But it would be disastrous if biofuel production made further inroads into biological diversity and natural ecosystems.
"We must not create new environmental or social problems in our efforts to deal with climate change."
Variable savings
Biofuels - principally ethanol and diesel made from plants - are one of the few viable options for replacing the liquid fuels derived from petroleum that are used in transport, the source of about one quarter of the human race's greenhouse gas emissions.
Vehicles, and the infrastructure for delivering fuel through filling stations, can be modified at marginal cost - certainly compared with the price of a large-scale switch to hydrogen or electric vehicles, even if they were to prove technologically and economically worthwhile.
Hence the adoption by Europe and the US of policies to stimulate biofuel production and use. But a number of recent scientific studies have shown that the carbon savings from using biofuels compared with petrol and diesel vary hugely, depending on what crop is grown and where, how it is harvested and processed, and other factors.
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There are also concerns that widespread planting and use of biofuel crops would threaten natural ecosystems and raise food prices. [more] http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7187361.stm
 
How's this for BUM DOPE? Let's make up our mind, is it UP or Down?:confused::nuts: $42.15 at 21:15 tonight!!
Oil retreats to start the new year

Prices ease as traders see 14% New Year's Eve surge as overdone.

Last Updated: January 1, 2009: 8:52 PM ET

Oil's wide reach


SINGAPORE (Reuters) -- Oil prices fell more than 4% Friday, kicking off 2009 on a weak note as traders bet a late-day rally that drove up prices 14% before on New Year's Eve was overdone.


U.S. light, sweet crude fell $1.87 to $42.73 a barrel by 0115 GMT (8:15 p.m. ET Thursday), reversing a part of Wednesday's $5.57 a barrel gains. Oil tumbled 54% in all last year.
Oil products helped trigger the surge on the last trading day of 2008 after weekly U.S. data showed a fall in refinery activity and an unexpected 500,000-barrel rise in crude stocks, stoking worries that fuel supplies could grow tight.
Inventories of refined products also rose, though less than analysts had expected. Gasoline stockpiles increased by 800,000 barrels, less than forecasts for a 1.5 million barrel build, while distillates rose by 700,000 barrels, below expectations for a 1.1 million barrel increase.
But demand also remained lower than a year ago, underscoring the dual impact of last year's record high prices followed by a deepening economic recession, which combined to knock oil prices more than $100 off their $147 a barrel peak in July.
Demand is also faltering in emerging Asia, with Chinese commercial fuel stocks rising to another record high in November, while Indian refinery production fell versus a year ago for the first time in three years. [more]
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/01/markets/oil.reut/index.htm?postversion=2009010120
 
Synthetics is the way to go.

Aside from Gasoline..My cars are all 100% Synthetic in their oils and fluids..
 
Oil retreats to start the new year

Prices ease as traders see 14% New Year's Eve surge as overdone.:D

Last Updated: January 2, 2009: 4:56 AM ET



SINGAPORE (Reuters) -- Oil prices fell more than 6% Friday, kicking off 2009 on a weak note as traders bet a late-day rally that drove up prices 14% before on New Year's Eve was overdone.
U.S. light, sweet crude fell $2.94 to $41.66 a barrel by 0752 GMT (2:52 a.m. ET), reversing a part of Wednesday's $5.57 a barrel gains. Oil tumbled 54% in all last year.
Oil products helped trigger the surge on the last trading day of 2008 after weekly U.S. data showed a fall in refinery activity and an unexpected 500,000-barrel rise in crude stocks, stoking worries that fuel supplies could grow tight.
Inventories of refined products also rose, though less than analysts had expected. Gasoline stockpiles increased by 800,000 barrels, less than forecasts for a 1.5 million barrel build, while distillates rose by 700,000 barrels, below expectations for a 1.1 million barrel increase.[more]
http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/01/markets/oil.reut/index.htm?postversion=2009010204
 
I know, I know - save the Polar Bears.:)

Countries in tug-of-war over Arctic resources

  • Russia, Canada, the U.S. and other countries are eyeing the Arctic's oil and gas
    The U.S. Geological Survey estimates the Arctic holds 90 billion barrels of oil
    Shrinking polar ice makes the region more accessible to shipping, other industry
  • But environmental impact of oil and gas drilling has scientists deeply concerned
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(CNN) -- One of the planet's most fragile and pristine ecosystems sits atop a bounty of untapped fossil fuels.
art.arctic.gi.jpg
Melting polar ice is making the Arctic more accessible to shipping and other industry.

The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that 90 billion barrels of oil, 44 billion barrels of natural gas liquids and 1,670 trillion cubic feet of natural gas are recoverable in the frozen region north of the Arctic Circle.
And the fight over who owns those resources may turn out to be the most important territorial dispute of this century. Russia, Canada, the United States, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland all have a stake in the Arctic's icy real estate.
But both the exploration, and the likely drilling at the top of the Earth, have scientists deeply concerned. One reason: Global warming has hit the Arctic's plant and animal life ferociously. The stresses and possible pollution caused by drilling only increase the risks.
"The ecosystem that is there has been protected by thousands of years of ice. Even if there was no territorial dispute, the ice is going away," said oceanographer David Carlson, director of the International Polar Year's Program Office.
The International Polar Year (http://www.ipy.org/) is a global scientific study focused on the Arctic and the Antarctic from March 2007 to March 2009.
Arctic sea ice is usually 1 to 3 meters, or as much as 9 feet, thick. It grows during autumn and winter and shrinks in spring and summer. Scientists have monitored sea ice conditions for 50 years.
Don't Miss

The disappearance of the ice in the past decade is astounding, climate scientists say.
"We've been seeing a retreat year after year," said Marika Holland, an oceanographer with the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. "The sea ice loss we observed in the summer of 2007 was shocking." [more]
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/science/01/02/arctic.rights.dispute/index.html
 
Gulf Oil Blocks May Be at High Risk during 2009 Active Hurricane Season
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Weather Research Center Wednesday, December 31, 2008

The outlook for the 2009 Hurricane Season is not a good one for the Gulf coast from Louisiana to Alabama which has a 70% chance of experiencing a landfall of a tropical storm or hurricane. According to Houston based Weather Research Center’s meteorologist, Jill Hasling, the Center's outlook is forecasting that the 2009 Hurricane Season will have at least 7 named storms with 4 of these tropical storms intensifying into hurricanes.
Related Pictures
GOM Rigs Affected by Hurricane Gustav
(Click to Enlarge)
Hurricane Katrina Hits Gulf Coast
(Click to Enlarge)
Additionally, the outlook is forecasting that there will be 7 hurricane days and 47 tropical storm days. There have been two years in this phase, 1890 and 1914, with only one tropical cyclone. So hopefully, we will have a quieter season than in recent years. But one must remember it is not the number of cyclones that is important but rather where they make landfall. For example, there were only six named storms in 1965, but Hurricane Betsy made landfall in New Orleans as a Category 3 hurricane.
There have been two years in this phase with 11 named storms and one year with as many as 12 named storms.
Weather Research Center's OCSI 2009 Hurricane Season Forecast Indicates the Section of the US Coast with the Highest Risk of a Tropical Storm or Hurricane Landfall is from Louisiana to Alabama with a 70% Chance.
2009 WRC OCSI FORECAST FOR THE ATLANTIC
COAST; WRC OCSI; CLIMATOLOGY
  • Mexico; 40%; 40%
  • Texas; 40%; 51%
  • Louisiana to Alabama; 70%; 59%
  • West Florida; 60%; 71%
  • East Florida; 30%; 41%
  • Georgia to N. Carolina; 50%; 56%
  • East Coast of US; 30%; 36%
  • Gulf Oil Blocks; 90%; 88%
Other 2009 Predictors from WRC's OCSI: OCSI Forecasts [more]


http://www.rigzone.com/news/article.asp?a_id=71197
 
Yes we stole Gas, so what?:p

Russia accuses Ukraine of stealing Europe's gas

The charge comes day after Russia cuts supplies to neighbor, begins to export gas through alternate routes.

January 2, 2009: 11:24 AM ET

MOSCOW/KIEV (Reuters) -- Russia accused Ukraine of stealing gas destined for the rest of Europe on Friday, a day after cutting supplies to its neighbor in a contract dispute.
The volumes Russian export monopoly Gazprom said Ukraine was off siphoning were small, but the accusation suggested Moscow was in no mood for compromise in a re-run of a 2006 argument that led to supply shortages across the E.U.
Gazprom said it was responding to Ukraine's actions by increasing exports via alternative routes, including Belarus. Energy companies in Europe said they had not felt any disruptions to their supplies since the cut-off.
"The Ukrainian side openly admits it is stealing gas and is not ashamed of this," Gazprom spokesman Sergei Kupriyanov said.
European Union
The European Union - which receives a fifth[more] http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/02/news/international/russia_gas.reut/index.htm?postversion=2009010211
 
BOY do I really like this one!! Oh MY, poke a stick in my eye. Yeah I would really like the Govt to put a GPS in my automobiles to track my mileage so they can TAX me on how many miles I drive!!!! Big Brother is WATCHING you, Beware!! OVER MY DEAD BODY!! :nuts:
Oregon considers taxing miles instead of gasoline; hybrid cars could threaten road upkeep Jim Wierson of Clackamas, talks about the idea of a mileage tax as he stands next to his pick-up in Portland, Ore., Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008. Facing the possibility of lower tax revenue from gasoline sales, the state is considering a tax not on the number of gallons purchased, but on the number of miles driven. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)01-02-2009 3:01 PM
By RYAN KOST, Associated Press Writer
PORTLAND, Ore. (Associated Press) -- Oregon is among a growing number of states exploring ways to tax drivers based on the number of miles they drive instead of how much gas they use, even going so far as to install GPS monitoring devices in 300 vehicles. The idea first emerged nearly 10 years ago as Oregon lawmakers worried that fuel-efficient cars such as gas-electric hybrids could pose a threat to road upkeep, which is paid for largely with gasoline taxes.
"I'm glad we're taking a look at it before the potholes get so big that we can't even get out of them," said Leroy Younglove, a Portland driver who participated in a recent pilot program.
The proposal is not without critics, including drivers who are concerned about privacy and others who fear the tax could eliminate the financial incentive for buying efficient vehicles.
But Oregon is ahead of the nation in exploring the concept, even though it will probably be years before any mileage tax is adopted.
Congress is talking about it, too. A congressional commission has envisioned a system similar to the prototype Oregon tested in 2006-2007.
The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing is considering calling for higher gas taxes to keep highways, bridges and transit programs in good shape.
But over the long term, commission members say, the nation should consider taxing mileage rather than gasoline as drivers use more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.

As cars burn less fuel, "the gas tax isn't going to fill the bill," said Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
The next Congress "could begin to set the stage, perhaps looking at some much more robust pilot programs, to begin the research, to work with manufacturers."
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has included development money for the tax in his budget proposal, and interest is growing in a number of other states.
Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island have considered systems that would require drivers to report their mileage when they register vehicles.
In North Carolina last month, a panel suggested charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.
James Whitty, the Oregon Department of Transportation employee in charge of the state's effort, said he's also heard talk of mileage tax proposals in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado and Minnesota.
"There is kind of a coalition that's naturally forming around this," he said.
Also fueling the search for alternatives is the political difficulty of raising gasoline taxes.[more]

http://middlegeorgia.cox.net/cci/ne...=article&id=D95F77CG0&_action=validatearticle
 
My total purchases of FUEL this year were:
Total Quantity 984.865
Purchased (Gallons) Total : $2,989.44
Cost ($) Average : $2.985
Economy (MPG) : 23.51 MPG
Fill-ups #: 125
Of that 984 gallons of fuel, about 150 of it was gasoline.
So a $2 A GALLON TAX would have cost me a total of $300 this year- or about 10% of my total fuel bill for the year.
I'm not "URBAN" at all. I live out in the country, and have a 45 mile commute each way to work.
I drove 23,555 miles in my own car this year. I used 984 gallons of fuel. Of that, only 150 or so was gasoline.​

So in reality, this year, since January 1, 2008, I got 157 miles per gallon of gasoline.
I hadn't even thought of the idea until I read it today. If some law-makers (politicians) get their way, they will tax mileage rather than gallons. They think that after we all have opted to drive more fuel-efficient cars to reduce fuel consumption, then there won't be enough tax revenue generated to support the infrastructure. Looks like the consumer "can't win for losing"! Damned if we do, damned if we don't! :suspicious:
Oregon looks at taxing mileage instead of gasoline

Excerpts>>>
The National Commission on Surface Transportation Infrastructure Financing is considering calling for higher gas taxes to keep highways, bridges and transit programs in good shape.



But over the long term, commission members say, the nation should consider taxing mileage rather than gasoline as drivers use more fuel-efficient and electric vehicles.



As cars burn less fuel, "the gas tax isn't going to fill the bill," said Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.



The next Congress "could begin to set the stage, perhaps looking at some much more robust pilot programs, to begin the research, to work with manufacturers."



Gov. Ted Kulongoski has included development money for the tax in his budget proposal, and interest is growing in a number of other states.



Governors in Idaho and Rhode Island have considered systems that would require drivers to report their mileage when they register vehicles.



In North Carolina last month, a panel suggested charging motorists a quarter-cent for every mile as a substitute for the gas tax.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090102/ap_on_re_us/mileage_tax
(Just noticed that nnuut had already commented on this lame-brained article...guess I'm going blind from sniffing fumes)



 
If someone had told us back in August that by December gasoline would be as low as 1.29 a gal, we would not have believed them.
 
BOY do I really like this one!! Oh MY, poke a stick in my eye. Yeah I would really like the Govt to put a GPS in my automobiles to track my mileage so they can TAX me on how many miles I drive!!!! Big Brother is WATCHING you, Beware!! OVER MY DEAD BODY!! :nuts:

Yeh, well Nnuut- it's already started.

First, I'd point you to this article: Look at Scenario #5


http://www.airsport-corp.com/adsb2.htm


Then, look here:
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...service_units/enroute/surveillance_broadcast/

and the schedule rollout here:
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...nits/enroute/surveillance_broadcast/coverage/

and here:

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...nits/enroute/surveillance_broadcast/schedule/


It's a very small leap to go from airplanes (Federal Aviation Administration) to cars (Federal Highway Administration). With tracking, and computerized billing.

Both are under the Department of Transportation.

It's already on the way.
 
BOY do I really like this one!! Oh MY, poke a stick in my eye. Yeah I would really like the Govt to put a GPS in my automobiles to track my mileage so they can TAX me on how many miles I drive!!!! Big Brother is WATCHING you, Beware!! OVER MY DEAD BODY!! :nuts:
There they go again, trying to undermine the working class people ..This will never work just like the registration and excise tax on POV unless you had a Commercial vehicle tag..then you got a break on the fees or were exempt..Guess what? every car on the road suddenly overnight had a Commercial Vehicle registration...

So What about people that use mileage as part of their 1040-Long form deduction..countless US Americans work out of their cars and need that mileage break..take that away and the end to our way of living will be upon us soon...

Beware the ides of December 23rd 2012
 
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