Glad I'm not commuting....

[sigma7]

Consumers can expect retail gas prices to rise to $4 a gallon soon but whether they stay there depends on the long-term damage to oil facilities from Hurricane Katrina, oil and gas analysts said Wednesday.

"There's no question gas will hit $4 a gallon," Ben Brockwell, director of pricing at the Oil Price Information Service, said. "The question is how high will it go and how long will it last?"

In other news, there are chainsaws and a tree-limb-shredding-machine in full-bore operation just outside the bedroom window. I think it's time to start drinking.

Also worth nothing: the Tulane University website is in emergency-blog mode.

Comments

[aardy.livejournal.com]

A few Chicago-area gas stations reportedly raised their prices from the (already highest in the nation) average of $2.85-$2.95 or so for low-grade up to $3.69 OVERNIGHT.

The state attorney general is promising to investigate all claims of gouging. If that's not price gouging, then I don't know what is.

Thankfully, most stations in the metro area are more sane, and only hiked prices a dime or so, if that.

I know there are concerns about the shut-down of various oil wells and refineries in the Gulf area, but c'mon it takes a bit more than 24-48 hours for those effects to trickle down the entire distribution chain to the pumps. Especially given the large fuel storage depots around here.

[querldox.livejournal.com]

There was a darkly amusing bit on the Times-Picayune blog/website yesterday pointing out that Tulane may be the first case of a Division 1 football team without an active university. Which could lead to interesting problems with regulations about player academic progress and the like (How many classes are you taking this term? Oh, zero now eh...). An NCAA offical was quoted as saying they'd certainly be willing to work with the university about this.

[jkgriffin.livejournal.com]

You have money to drink? I applaud you. I would start abusing substances could I afford them.

Get an air cleaner. The white noise they create may help slightly.

[sigma7.livejournal.com]

Oh, no money to drink, but you know, it's about time I invested in my future.

The tree-murdering wasn't as loud as I thought it'd be, though the driveway was occupied 'til 5:10ish.

And there's always the fan I can turn on "2" if I need to nap. Blissful white noise, indeed. Except I got dependent on it in the winter, so it's been running most of the year, now....

[wenchamok.livejournal.com]

Photo on the AP wire from Milwaukee had *regular unleaded* gas at $3.55, then $3.66 and $3.77 for the higher stuff....followed by "Have a nice day." Fuckers. It jumped 40 cents today -- it was $2.58 this morning on the way to work and now it's $3.99 on the way home.

[aardy.livejournal.com]

Some Chicago-area stations are now seeing gas lines 20+ cars long, particularly in areas where some stations raised prices 80 cents today while nearby stations went with a modest 10-15 cent increase, if that. Guess which ones have the 30-minute wait for a pump? The average price in some areas went from $2.81 to $3.61 for low-grade by the end of the day, while in other areas, it's still only $2.81.

(I am reminded of the inflation rate in Weimar Germany, where a wheelbarrow full of money was needed to buy a single loaf of bread in the morning, but wasn't enough by that same afternoon.)

As I stopped next to a Mobil tanker truck at a light on the way home, I was tempted to ask him whether his truck was full and how much for the whole load. Or just mug him. Then I thought, what would I *do* with that much gas? Where would I put it?

However, this whole situation begs the more important question: Would the AP caption writers label this price gouging as "looting" money or "finding" money?