2007-09-21 05:13:49 · 14 answers · asked by razor 5 in Politics & Government ➔ Government
People who spoke out for "cleaner gasoline" in the mid-90s finally got their wish...but the reformulated blends were considerably more expensive.
The oil companies are not running the refineries at full capacity...and won't build any more because the cost of making them "environmentally friendly" is too high.
We are depending too much on foreign oil and not developing our own sources enough. We are also not creating more fuel-efficient cars and/or fuel cell cars.
Meanwhile, Exxon/Mobil continues to make $1 billion each month...and the stockholders love that so much that they all hope the company keeps doing exactly what it has been doing.
2007-09-21 06:48:10 · answer #1 · answered by Mathsorcerer 7 · 3⤊ 4⤋
Probably several factors, including the "terrorism war" and the fact that oil is a limited resource. As much of a democrat as I am, I think the issue lies more in the aspect that we are coming to the decline of the oil era, and in some way, shape, or form it could be a way for us to monitor how much gas we're using so we use it more sparingly. I don't know, maybe I'm completely wrong, but I'll bet it has at least something to do with that somehow.
2007-09-21 05:26:49 · answer #2 · answered by beachchik23259 2 · 4⤊ 2⤋
Because we are currently AT WAR, or hadn't you noticed? There are many things which affect the price of gas at the pump. Oil prices are at RECORD HIGHS right now ( they closed above $80 a barrel yesterday, in fact- and adding to this are other events which have a dramatic impact on oil production, such as the fighting in Nigeria's Delta region. Every time there is a hurricane or another disaster like that, oil prices will rise, because it costs more to get the oil out of the ground and on to ships for transport to refineries. We currently have what can only be called "frosty" relations with a couple of the world's biggest producers- Iran and Venezula. Iran is under sanction by the EU because of our fears that they have or are developing nuclear weapons, and we don't like Chavez, who is the president of VZ. Our president and Congress think he's a brutal dictator, just like Saddam Hussein was in Iraq. Then there's the fact that although Iraq has millions of barrels of oil, there is no way to get that oil out of the ground and into the marketplace because of the infrastructure and security problems there. We don't want to deal with Libya either- again, we hate its ruler.
All of this, when taken together with the fact that the world's oil supply is under seige and running short to begin with, means that Americans are going to have to pay a LOT more for their love affair with cars and SUV's. It isn't just the oil companies which are responsible for the high price- it's a lot of other factors as well. Conservation should be the way we live, not just something we pay lip service to, but even now, how many SUV's do YOU see on your way to work or school every day? How many of these people would be better off with a less expensive, more fuel efficient car? Ask yourself that next time you go to fill up at the pump.
2007-09-21 05:42:35 · answer #3 · answered by Starlight 1 7 · 3⤊ 4⤋
I really dont know why. The fact that Bush is in the white house at the time of this gasoline fiasco, I don't believe he has anything to do withit. I just don't understand why gas is so expensive these days.
2007-09-21 05:20:52 · answer #4 · answered by Loraine 1 · 6⤊ 3⤋
Why is the price of gas ONLY 3x as high even though the Worldwide price of a barrel of crude is 5-6 x as high as it was under Clinton.
Presidents don't regulate the world market for oil.
Why is the stock market at an all time high, unemployment and interest rates near all time lows in spite of the fact that under Bush's presidency our country has faced the worst ever attack on US soil, the DotCom bubble burst, the worst ever natural disaster to strike a US city, the Sub-Prime lending crises, a 6 year long war and near all time high oil prices?
You'd think we'd be experiencing a Carter economy with that list of setbacks
2007-09-21 05:20:38 · answer #5 · answered by heavysarcasm 4 · 7⤊ 6⤋
Could it possibly be that Al Gore sold half of the US Government oil reserves known as Elk Hills to Occidental Petroleum, could it also be that Al Gore's father was a Vice President of Occidental Petroleum, all of this just shortly before they left office and Bush took over. Could it be that Al Gore and the democrats wants to raise the cost of gas because of global warming.
Could it also be that the liberal tree hugger's don't want us to drill of any of the 800 billion barrels of shale oil that is in the US, this is more than half of the worlds supply of shale oil.
2007-09-21 05:41:21 · answer #6 · answered by justgetitright 7 · 2⤊ 6⤋
Could be that the liberals keep raising the taxes on gasoline and wasting time in congress picking on Bush instead of tackling the oil companies as they promised in 06. Oh I forgot the best way to win against libs is to let them attack you and make fools of themselves.
2007-09-21 05:19:50 · answer #7 · answered by old codger 5 · 7⤊ 5⤋
Um, let's see, could have a lot to do with the price of oil being around $80 a barrel right now, has nothing to do with who's in office
2007-09-21 05:18:04 · answer #8 · answered by exodus64_1996 3 · 10⤊ 6⤋
Because Exxon/Mobile is a big contributer to the Republican party.
2007-09-21 05:39:56 · answer #9 · answered by buffytou 6 · 4⤊ 5⤋
Profit gain. Actually reduction of our consumption in oil will defund terror, but there seems to be no direction in that way.
2007-09-21 05:17:52 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 6⤋