Are gas prices rising because winter is over and home heating gas consumption is down?
359738
No, it's rising because the War in Iraq is getting worse every day!
436434
Actually, gas prices in the US are artificially low.  We pay about 1/2 to 1/3 of Europe's prices.  Prices here fluctuate almost arbirarily, but also in accordance with supply and demand, and, of course, the price of oil.  It's precisely because we're in this war over oil that prices has gone up. War makes production and distribution a pain, to say the least.  Other oil producing nations, like Venzuela and Nigeria have also had political distruptions.
328579
My old prediction was that their will be little change in consumption until fuel reaches $7/gallon. After watching the news last week, I'm beginning to think it may be closer to $5/gallon.\n\n$12/gallon would be too high, as the transportation charges would cause a serious blow to the cost of consumer goods and trigger inflation big time.
1020177
Oh heck no! Our economy is doing better than it ever did under Clinton, Bush1, or Reagan. Unemployment is low, housing is up...darlin, the economy is cruising right on along. Gas prices are up and it causes some consumer goods to rise, that's all.
1072226
Yes - the oil companies are gouging - look at the record profits\n\nThe best way to deal with it is by switching to other fuels and reducing our use\n\nPrice is all supply and demand - If the demand is reduced the price will drop\n\nI changed my habits to drop half my mileage driven in a week and am still getting everything done - just fewer trips\n\nall of us together would make a major difference
502628
Not that I am for this--But dear it wouldn't matter and why you ask---well here is an article--this is starting to open up a new can of worms--please understand--Anyone in the world could have all the oil in the world..and it really wouldn't matter at this point...\n\n$3-a-gallon gas: Blame Washington, not Big Oil\nWhat's driving up gas prices? It's not just higher crude costs; it's new regulations.\nNelson D. Schwartz\nMay 3, 2006: 2:20 PM EDT\n\n\n(FORTUNE Magazine) - With gas prices roaring past $3 a gallon and consumer fury rising even faster, Congress and the White House are engaged in a Kabuki-like ritual: pointing fingers at each other over who's to blame, while furiously attacking Big Oil for reaping gargantuan profits - as drivers get hosed at the pump.\n\nIf the politicians really want to figure out who's responsible for the latest round of price increases, though, they'd be better off looking in the mirror. That's because the rise isn't only due to higher crude costs. It's also fallout from some little-noticed provisions in the energy bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush last summer.\n\nBuried in the 551-page energy bill - which was supposed to ease energy shortages, not worsen them - were new regulations governing what additives go into gasoline and how it's refined. Corn-based ethanol is replacing the petroleum-derived additive MTBE, but Congress timed this logistically tricky switchover to occur just as demand for gasoline peaked ahead of the summer driving season - right about now.\n\nThe end result is an extra strain on the refining and distribution system when it can least afford it.\n\n"It's too late now, but Congress has consistently failed to sequence regulatory requirements in a responsible fashion," says Bob Slaughter, president of the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association.\n\nAdds Larry Goldstein of the Petroleum Industry Research Foundation: "The gasoline crisis is made in the U.S.A., not in Iran or Venezuela or Nigeria. At least half the increase in gasoline prices is due to unintended consequences of the energy bill, but no one in Washington wants to admit that."\n\nIndeed, while crude prices have risen 21% since the end of 2005, gasoline is up 37% - a sign of just how stretched the system is. Congress's mistake, says Goldstein, was setting the new law to go into effect 270 days after it was signed - May 5 - rather than waiting until fall, when gas demand is typically on the downswing.\n\nNow the big question is, How high can gas go? Well, perhaps the only good thing that can be said about paying three bucks per gallon is that it seems to be slowing consumption - which should, in turn, reduce prices. Over a four-week period in April, says oil analyst Jamal Qureshi of consulting firm PFC Energy, U.S. gasoline demand dropped by half a percent, to just over nine million barrels a day. That may not sound like much, but it's a reversal from the 1.7% average annual increase in gas consumption the U.S. has experienced over the past decade. If $3 is indeed the tipping point at which consumers change their behavior and alter their driving habits, it's the one silver lining in an otherwise very dark cloud for drivers.\n\nThe wildcard in this scenario, of course, is the increasing risk of a military confrontation with Iran. If that happens, says Qureshi, "all bets are off." Given that crude oil accounts for 55% of the cost of each gallon of gas (refining accounts for 22%, taxes for 19%, and distribution and marketing for 4%), an upward spike in crude oil would push gas up even if the bottlenecks caused by the energy bill ease this summer.\n\nThat's why Red Cavaney, president of the American Petroleum Institute, says the answer in the short term is conservation. Washington is indeed being turned upside down when it's left to Cavaney, Big Oil's chief lobbyist, to talk conservat
131248
Consumer economy. Gas has historically been much cheaper than any other source of fuel. When it's price rose in those countries, only THEN did they move to alternative fuels. Same goes for what will happen here. Gas has priced itself out of our market now.
364050
no.\nbecause the root cause of gas prices in the world is shortage of supply.\n\nthis is mostly because oil reifineries conviently shut down or do not produce enough to meet demand. (all compainies have to do is agree to all inflate prices and everyone benifits)\n\nthe other problem is that big countries like China are buying up huge quanties of oil... which make there less supply and thus greater demand \n\nand price jack up...but never underestimate greed\n\nin iraq we control thier oil. if bush steped down cheney would still let the oil companies rip you off.\n\nwhy do you think all his energy meetings were secret and the white went to court to  prevent freedom of information acts
114099
They have to pay more to heat there homes in the winter.
690244
Gas prices are rising due to the rise in the price of crude oil.\n\nThe price of West Texas Light Crude rose to over $70 a barrel on the international market, although it has now fallen to $69.63. The price of Light Crude tends to be higher than other Crude Oil prices because it contains less sulphur. This reduces the refining costs involved with making petrol that conforms to the environmental standards in the US and Europe.\n\nAlthough OPEC and other Oil producing countries have increased production of oil, the demand is outstripping the supply.\n\nThe economy in China is growing fast and as the masses enjoy more disposable income, they buy cars which in turn require more oil.\n\nThe Indian economy is also getting stronger and they too are buying more oil.\n\nA further complication that adds to the demand is the lack of refineries. The efficient refineries are operating at almost full capacity which means that less efficient plants are being pressed into service. The problems in obtaining refined product places further pressure on demand side prices.\n\nOn the supply side, there are political uncertainties in a number of big oil producing countries. Such uncertainties cause problems within the supply chain and cause prices to increase.\n\nOPEC cannot produce enough extra oil to satisfy the extra demand.\n\nIn the past, Russia could be relied upon to pump extra oil. However, Russia is busily re-nationalising Oil Production (e.g. The recent Yukos case). This means that Oil production in Russia has fallen away from 2004 levels. Although Russia has huge reserves, it will be a while before production starts to grow again and so they cannot be relied upon to meet the extra demand. \n\nVenezuela is having a little spat with US Oil companies. Go Venezuela! Unfortunately, this is also effecting supply. \n\nNigeria, well is Nigeria. However, the locals are not happy with the way that oil companies operate and have taken to protesting over the way their land is being poluted. Local bandits and industrial unrest all combine to threaten oil supply.\n\nThen there is Iran which is in dispute with the west over Uranium enrichment.\n\nWhenever demand outstrips supply, speculators get involved. The US leads the way in commodity speculation. With continual upward pressure on the price of oil, speculators are having a field day.\n\nThe complication that the US has brought to speculation factor is the invention of 'virtual speculation'. These are speculators who speculate on the commodity speculators. This in turn causes prices to fluctuate more wildly and pushes prices even higher in a rising market or lower in a falling market.\n\nThe only way to improve the situation would be to either increase supply or reduce demand.\n\nIncreasing supply will take many years to be effective.\n\nTherefore the only way to reduce prices is to reduce demand. So, if everyone used less fuel the prices would fall.\n\nTime to dust off your old pedal cycle?
202996
I have! Oil prices go down and gas goes up. Supplies increase the price at the pump goes up. The 2nd biggest oil deposit in the world comes under U.S. control.... You get the idea. Enough is enough. His friends have all made a buck on this insanity, let's go back to $1.00 a gallon.
1079598
Construction companies, sweat shop type companies will be effected, but like so many causes, after a time when the heat of the moment passes, things tend to go back to what was working before the white-hot focus of the media and politicians is gone. \n\nHunger persists, AIDS persists everything is put in the microscope and is replaced pretty quickly. Illegal immigration will too. The consumers may pay for some inconveniences, but I don't think it will be like gas prices.\n\nSo why are gas prices going up? Supply and American's insatiable demand. If the government wants to solve a problem, ban gasoline powered cars. (An actual plan that could work would be a systematic phase out of gas powered cars.) Without them America would come up with something really quick to solve our lazy need for foriegn oil!
2940
I used to work for PETRO the largest home heating oil company on the Eastern seaboard of USA....but I don't anymore, so my personal opinion is that electric is cheaper. The cost of home heating oil has gone up by about 2.5 times the price it was a year and a half ago! That's crazy!
828657
Since before the elections I was saying that prices went down because of the elections and that they will find whatever excuse to bring it back up, but most of the savy idiots of yahoo answer were saying that it was because it was winter time and people did not travel as much. If people cannot decipher such obvious tactics to acquire votes how in the hell can they ever figure out much complex lies about unscrupulous politicians that are desperately trying to get their votes, I see now how America got to this infernal state it is because the voting citizens are not sharp and smart enough and will swallow any waste that the goverment will feed them, such as big oil companies will raise up the gas prices due to the anticipated deficit of the democratic party, we are pathetic.
474948
Well, it won't run out completely, but it is projected that demand will outpace production within that time frame.  This is based on Hubbert's Curve and if you're interested, try researching Peak Oil.  Regardless, when demand outpaces consumption, expect the price of gasoline, and anything else associated with petroleum, to increase in price drastically.
797971
Yes there has.  Due to the falling price of wholesale crude on the international commodities market, OPEC announced an intent to cut back production of crude.  Further, as we head into winter months, heating oils and diesel fuel (for shipping of goods) has a spike in consumption.\n\nWhat this means is the volatility of the crude, fuel, gasoline, and heating oil markets are directly effected by the speculators on the market itself.  What you are seeing is a market response to speculator manipulation of the price.  It has nothing to do with the elections, just brokers and individual investors trying to make a quick buck.\n\nThe best response to this would be a massive investment in the ability of the US market to refine a greater quantity of our imported crude, and to explore even greater quantities of crude from domestic sources.
638765
High prices!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  People trying to raise a family can not afford the high price.  The worst of it is with gas prices rising,  everything (housing, food, clothing, toys etc.) will increase.  This is probably going to put us in a depression.  People will not be able to afford things they need to live.  They surely will not be able to enjoy any entrainment