When will gas hit $3.00 again, and how high will it go?

I'm going to call you out now before this gets out of hand-

You are either trying to start a flaming war or just plain stupid, maybe both.

I consider myself a Conservative too but there are some issues such as the environment that should be adressed by fact and not politics. The fact is that there is not a lot of oil and it's irresponsible consumption is harmful in the longterm.

 

YEah,.. hit 2.75 recently here in central IL

 

Antagonist eh?

Well, that's exactly what we don't need. We don't need to use up more of this "stored energy of the past" aka oil to artificially prop up our ability to support more population than the current biomass and sun energy can support. We're flirting with disaster every time we increase our load and dependency on this stored up old energy that came from biomass in the first place. It's ok to use it up, but if we allow it to go out while we are accustomed to it, that could spell disaster.

 

A complete analysis would include the fact that the relatively shallow wells we currently utilize have almost reached the 50% point...it is getting harder to pump it out, and it costs more.

Fair enough.

But, that also means that we have as much oil left as we have used since the dawn of the industrialized age...and yes oil is being made every day, but not as fast as we use it. It's a continuing process. (And, whether it is a fossil fuel is even under debate, as there are bacterial processes which can produce sweet crude in short time periods, in rock strata that "can't" have oil. Siberia is used as evidence for this process)

We would also have to include, in the discussion, that the increasing prices make previously *impractical* deposits (like the tar sands in Canada) into practical deposits. Those deposits were present earlier, but not counted due to the costs involved with their development. Now, they're practical.

While it's true that oil is a finite resource, it is not true that we are running out of it, in any meaningful way.

I am a big fan of cleaning up after ourselves...but have some major issues with "authorities" mandating what (or even IF) I drive/produce/use. Worse yet, talking heads like Al Gore who don't even practice what they preach make me angry...and despite obviously flawed "science," they manage to push *their* agendas on the public while becoming billionaires, themselves. Can you say conflict of interest? (Ed Begley Jr, however, has always had my respect, as he actually does practice what he preaches. George Bush too...his home in Crawford, TX is a model for green structures.)

I'm not debating whether a cleaner environment is good or bad...I believe it is good. BUT, public interest or not, it requires a softer touch over a longer period of time. Change is difficult...we aren't in a position where we require a revolution in 6 months...and very few enjoy being bullied into it.

The Prius is a great example of *how* to handle it. Double/triple your gas mileage with almost no trade-offs. You use less, aren't forced to abandon your lifestyle, and you do good in the process. ENcourage smarter consumption, rather than DIScourage use. One empowers us...the other places us in shackles.

I don't like being shackled.

Chuck

 

Thank you for that reply.
I never understood why environmental issues had to be political.
After all, isn't being a conservative mean that one is into conservation?

 

Well gas is at $3.00/Gal now in Western New York...Been creeping up over the past 2 weeks......

I don't think it will stop at this dollar point...

 

Without reading the book, and absent serious inflation, I don't see how prices can get to $20/gal anytime soon. $4.50/gal eighteen months ago put a seriously damper on the economy and cut demand.

So, which will it be? Huge growth ahead, or too brittle and overleveraged for such growth?

 

Gas went over $3.00 this weekend in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. Shell in Unocal were both at 3:059 for unleaded regular. I paid $2.999 last Sunday.

 

Um I know I could probably google it, but can you point me to anything in particular about his home in Crawford? I have been desperately looking for a reason not to hate W. I really hate to hate. LOL

 

The annual dip during the Holidays saw gas at $2.40-ish.

As usual it immediately began to rise on Jan 2nd like it does every year until it peaks around the 4th of July. In a week it's now up to $2.70-ish.

I'll say $3.00 by Apr 1st latest and $3.50 at the peak by the 4th of July. This of course is with stability remaining in the MidEast and with the pricing driven only by the marketing pooh-bahs at the oil companies.

"If they'll pay it, we'll raise it."

[EDIT] Applies to Mid Atl coastal region only.

 

Entirely wrong, except for the last sentence.

Cheney's Energy Task Force in 2007 already gave Bush its report. Basically it said forget low prices forever ( unless there's some catastrophic economic collapse that we can't foresee ).

They told Bush that 'Yes there's lots of oil but we can't get at it. The new oil we might be able to get to and bring to market by the end of the next decade ( 2017-2020 ) only makes sense if the price of oil is in excess of $100 / bbl or preferably $150 / bbl.'

If the price of oil doesn't go that high then the oil stays in the ground, let them walk or carpool, it'll be good for them.

 

Try Snopes, though this was publicized through numerous outlets several years ago.

While being more skeptical then, I was also wondering why my home was using 98% less total energy than Gore's home. And while my home was improving, his was getting worse.

My shift towards his viewpoint since then has been in spite of, not because of, him.

 

Certainly.

Let's start with size...he built it small. His vacation home is a 4000 ft^2 structure designed to use both passive and active solar elements. And, don't forget the structure itself. It's limestone. This is a local material, and specifically uses the waste products of the traditional mining process. Usually the "miscolored" parts are waste...in his house, they're the structure, and the miscolored parts are viewed as character.

The stone also acts as thermal mass...a thermal flywheel; passive solar gain. Bear in mind that this is Texas, so cooling is more important than heating. Solar hot water heating is integral, as well.

And now, the HVAC system. It uses pipes buried nearly 300 feet in the ground (got the 300' figure from online) to heat and cool the house. It's a locally appropriate variation on a ground source heat pump, and is quite efficient.

The structure is aligned and designed to utilize natural light and ventilation patterns. The artificial lights are efficient, being both fluorescent and LED.

Water. Crawford has no surface water, so he constructed a reservoir, which in addition to serving as a reservoir and establishing a more temperate micro-climate (110F - 115F is normal in summertime), is used recreationally. There is a rainwater cistern of 30,000 gallon capacity which is used for toilets and similar uses, as well as a graywater recycling system. Landscaping is xeriscape, using native plants that reduce the need for water.

This is Texas architecture at its best. We've long used what is now called renewable energy (think of the windmills in all the old western movies) and this is a very Texas way to do it, in a very modern way. It's that rugged individualism stuff, coupled with modern innovation.

Despite all this...or perhaps because of it, this house uses 25% of the energy and water of the "average" American house. Well done, George!

Chuck

P.S. George also added similar refinements to the systems in the White House, including passive solar water heaters on the roof. Lead by example, and all that. In fact, he reinstalled all the eco-stuff that Carter had installed, and then expanded on it. And, this was before the term "carbon footprint" was even coined...before it was cool to be green.

Needless to say, *this* aspect of his Presidency didn't get well publicized by the pundits. There are some who are actually calling him the Greenest President. How's that for irony?

 

Is Cowboys Stadium that green too?

 

Gas is $3 per gallon, in Southern California

 

$3.05 Shell La Crescenta CA today.....87 Octane

 

I wouldn't know...I've never been there, never read up on its architecture, and don't follow football. Yep, a Texan who doesn't follow football...I'm the ONE.

Wouldn't surprise me, though, if green elements were used. Such things are popular right now, and a stadium project is a very visible and public project. Texas has always been a leader in clean and alternate energy (though other states/countries get more publicity) so it would shock me if the new stadium was anything other than green...and probably even a leader in the field.

Let me hit google and find out...

According to the sites that came up, the answer to your question would be a giant green YES.
New Cowboys Stadium to Feature Green Initiatives - Earth911.com
Arlington's New Dallas Cowboys Stadium Goes "Green"
http://www.athleticturf.net/athleti...n-featu/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/567863
http://www.sportsturfonline.com/ME2...0&tier=3&nid=325C39045DA44D7989F03240B3B1372C

Chuck

 

Please tell me where we can "drill, baby drill" in the US to make a significant difference in our oil supply, more specifically, the amount that it will provide, when vs. the the amount US consumes and import each day.

I suspect you have no clue as to any of these facts.

There's no reason to throw politics into this. I'm not political and wasn't even registered to vote in the last election.

 

Thanks! that is very great. I was hurt when Reagan took down Nixon's solar panels, but it's good that W. put up some solar water collection! He also seems to have looked outside the typical "green market" crap and incorporated smart design. I appreciate your post!

P.S. I just did the geo setup myself. We have a 3 ton unit, which has 3 vertical ground loops 150ft down! I love it.

 

Very good point. I have an appreciation for him raising awareness about how we can be more respectful of our earth anyway. I think he did revamp his home or mansion or whatever lately, but it should have been done much sooner. His son drives a Prius, but I noticed in the movie of his, he was driving a cadillac! hahaha He's something. I get a kick out of him.