What's up with the high cost of Fuel?    It's a Dollar more a gal. than Gas!  In Ames, Iowa.... Gas in 2.19-2.39.   Don't tell me it's because winter is coming.  That's a copout.  I feel sorry for those Truckers trying to make a living. I thought Diesel Fuel was cheaper to make. So why are we getting gouged at the pump ?  this is going to halt of lot of my horse activities.  Just venting..

I hear ya!! $3.59 for diesel and $2.68 for unleaded here in NE Michigan. One station went up $.40 in one day.

Yeah it bites alright.

Not really so. Most of these gas stations are privately owned by people like you and me. A LOT depends on how long they have been in business, how their credit is, how they pay for their shipment of fuel, and many other factors. There is a station here, who is known to bounce checks. His credit is bad, and he has to pay cash for all shipments. He gets charged higher for the fuel he gets, thus, higher prices for his customers. This same shipment of fuel goes to another station that has been open for eons. The owner probably has good credit and gets a discount which means lower for the customers. A friend of mine now leases a station. Since he is new, he gets charged a higher price than most, so his prices are higher. I don't mean to open another can of worms, but it's almost like the car insurance rates around here. The worse your credit, the higher rate you pay. I think this is BS...So if you have bad credit, does that mean you are more likely to have a car accident or claim? Or if you have good credit, does that mean you won't have a claim?

You can run 'dyed' fuel, penalty-free, for highway use.
There is an October 25th cut-off date for purchase.
It's on the IRS website. http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=149429,00.html

Don't know if this is any comfort but just yesterday (Sat), the local Exxon lowered their price to 2.85 gal. One other place had 2.99, but most of the stations were still 3.09-3.19.

Don't most truckers get to charge a surcharge when fuel is higher?   Could this explain the lack of complaints........don't know, just thinking outloud...

And just think Diesel is the WASTE product in making gas. The sludge at the bottom of the tanks.I'll tell you this, if the American consumers were organized and boycotted just one oil company at a time till their prices lowered the rest would all follow suit.

Not really so. Most of these gas stations are privately owned by people like you and me. A LOT depends on how long they have been in business, how their credit is, how they pay for their shipment of fuel, and many other factors. There is a station here, who is known to bounce checks. His credit is bad, and he has to pay cash for all shipments. He gets charged higher for the fuel he gets, thus, higher prices for his customers. This same shipment of fuel goes to another station that has been open for eons. The owner probably has good credit and gets a discount which means lower for the customers. A friend of mine now leases a station. Since he is new, he gets charged a higher price than most, so his prices are higher. I don't mean to open another can of worms, but it's almost like the car insurance rates around here. The worse your credit, the higher rate you pay. I think this is BS...So if you have bad credit, does that mean you are more likely to have a car accident or claim? Or if you have good credit, does that mean you won't have a claim?

So does that mean the consumer, you and me, has to pay for this dumb @@s's bad credit?

No,  I think taxes on fuel is $0.43?  Can't remember.  But, hey, filling up 40 gallons ans saving $0.20 - I'll take what I can get!

BUT, that applies to fuel dyed at the 'terminal'.  "To my knowledge" it's dyed at the EPA regulated refinery and therefore not subject to tax.

If you go and get gas there at his prices...yes, you do pay for it.

Gas prices depend on your state. Here you go:

After crude oil costs, taxes are the second largest contributor to the price paid at the pump. Together Federal and State excise taxes on fuel account for an average cost of approximately 62 cents per gallon. Note: Federal tax of 18.4 cents/gallon is not included in the rates listed below.
State	Gasoline (¢/g)	Diesel (¢/g)	Comment
Alabama	18.3	19.3	Inc. 2 cpg inspection fee and 0.3 cpg UST Tax. Cities may add upto 5 cpg additional.
Alaska	8	8	Additional taxes on marine and aviation fuel.
Arizona	19	19	Inc. 1 cpg UST Tax. Vehicle over 26,000lb GW must pay an additional 9 cpg on diesel.
Arkansas	21.7	22.7	Inc. 0.2 cpg UST Tax.
California	26.2	24.7	Inc. 1.2 cpg UST Tax. Inc. sales taxes of 7 cpg gasoline and 5.5 cpg diesel. Local sales taxes not inc.
Colorado	22	20.5
Connecticut	25	26	Excludes 5% tax at wholesale level.
Delaware	23	22
Dist. of Columbia	20	20
Florida	16.3	28.9	Plus local taxes of 5.5 to 17 cpg. Inc pollution tax of 2.2 cpg.
Georgia	7.5	7.5	Additional sales tax of 4%.
Hawaii	16.1	16.1	Additional general sales tax of 4.166%. Additional local county taxes: 18 cpg Maui, 16.5 cpg Honolulu, 13 cpg Kauai, 8.8 cpg Hawaii
Idaho	25	25
Illinois	19	21.5	Additional local taxes of 5 cpg in Chicago and 6 cents in Cook county on gasoline only. Commercial vehicles pay additional 6.3 cpg on gasoline and 6.0 cpg on diesel.
Indiana	18	19	Additional sales tax of 6%. Surcharge of 11 cpg on diesel for commercial vehicles.
Iowa	21.3	23.5	Inc. 1 cpg UST Tax. Ethanol blended gasoline rate is 20 cpg.
Kansas	25	27	Inc 1 cpg environmental fees.
Kentucky	16.4	13.4	Tax rate is variable and is calculated quarterly on the wholesale gasoline prices. Listed rate includes 1.4 cpg UST Tax. Plus surcharge for commercial vehicles of 2.2cpg on gasoline and 5.3cpg on diesel.
Louisiana	20	20
Maine	24.6	25.7	Additional 1-2 cpg for water fund.
Maryland	23.5	24.25
Massachusetts	23.5	23.5	Inc. 2.5 cpg UST Tax
Michigan	19.875	15.875	Inc. 0.875 cpg UST Tax. Plus additional 6% sales tax.
Minnesota	22	22	Inc 2 cpg UST Tax
Mississippi	18.4	18.4	Inc 0.4 cpg UST Tax. Additional 3 cpg Seawall tax in some counties.
Missouri	17	17
Montana	27.75	28.5	Inc 0.75 State environmental tax
Nebraska	25.5	24.9	Rate variable. Inc release prevention fee.
Nevada	23	27	Addition local taxes of 1.75 to 9.75 cpg
New Hampshire	20.6	20.6	Inc 2.6 cpg UST Tax.
New Jersey	14.5	17.5
New Mexico	18	19	Inc 1 cpg loading fees.
New York	22.6	20.85	Inc. Petroleum Business Tax = 14 cpg gas, 12.25 cpg diesel. Additonal sales taxes apply (Approx 10 cpg).
North Carolina	24.2	24.2	Rate adjusted quarterly based on 17.5 cents + 7% of wholesale price.
North Dakota	21	21
Ohio	24	24	Commercial vehicles pay additional 3 cpg on diesel.
Oklahoma	17	14	Inc 1 cpg UST tax.
Oregon	24	24
Pennsylvania	25.9	30.8	Price includes oil franchise tax 13.9 cpg gasoline and 18.8 cpg diesel. Additional 1 cpg for fuel stored in UST.
Rhode Island	31	31	Inc 1 cpg UST tax.
South Carolina	16.75	16.75	Inc 0.5 cpg UST tax and 0.25 cpg inspection fee.
South Dakota	24	24	Inc 2 cpg charged at distribution level.
Tennessee	21.4	18.4	Inc 1 cpg special petroleum tax and .4 cpg environmental fee.
Texas	20	20
Utah	24.5	24.5
Vermont	20	26	Inc 1 cpg petroleum cleanup fee.
Virginia	18.1	16.6	Inc 0.6 cpg petroleum storage tank fees. Excludes 2% sales tax in some areas.
Washington	28	28
West Virginia	20.5	20.5	Plus 5% state sales tax.
Wisconsin	31.1	25.1	Inc 3 cpg inspection fee.
Wyoming	15	15	Inc 1 cpg UST Tax.
Please note the above rates are meant as only guidelines of pump taxes and may not represent the full tax amount at the pump.

Hate to burst your fairy tale ideas about oil products...  In truth, a refinery uses everything in a barrel of oil to make various products.  There really is no waste product except the leakage from the various  pipe, valve & pump seal systems.    Even the sludge from the tank bottoms goes into a product.  You might know of it... called asphalt & tar.  It's valuable.  check the price of house shingles lately?

Farmbabe..

You're a voice of reason....  Thanks. 

There could also be several reasons for the extra wide price difference between diesel & gasoline:  (just my thinking)

I was reading about European tankers of gasoline coming to the States.    We now have additional supplies of gasoline, but diesel is still supplied by our local refineries ( which are still not 100% at capacity) Also, The Europeans have a lot of diesel cars so there is not any excess European diesel capacity

The EPA relaxed some of the rules on oxygen enriched gasoline so the Asian refineries are sending some of their gasoline product here.

The winter heating season is coming, so there is increased demand for the "waste products" LOL.. Number 2 heating oil is very close to diesel fuel.

High demand = high price   Simple... change your ways if you don't like the high price.  It'll be better for this country as a whole to use oil more effectively.

Two alternatives to driving my truck.

Diesel is around $1.00/gallon more expensive than gas in these parts.  So I got one of my fiance's Mustangs out of storage and am driving that around.  I left "big red" in Oklahoma with him.  I get further cheaper, and I just love slamming those gears and grinning/giggling all the way to work!

So take that Exxon!

I've been trying to figure out the diesel deal myself. A month ago it jumped .$40 in one week putting it at the same price as bio-diesel and I would certainly want to pay our farmers before Venezuela or Iraq for fuel.

January 2007 is when low sulfur fuel law and tier 7 emissions takes effect. So between now and then the fuel stations have to switch to low sulfur fuel. I was at a DC press conference last summer when Jeep introduced the diesel Liberty. I interviewed Chrysler's diesel engineers and they said that the substitute for the paraffin wax, the lubrication in #2 diesel, had a substitute to use in low sulfur fuel that cost no more than what's used now. So they didn't see much of a increase in the cost of low sulfur fuel.

But the way I see it, back in the seventies when unleaded gas came out for new EPA standards for autos, since oil companies no longer had to add lead to gas, their costs went down. But guess what, they fooled the public and raised the price of unleaded gas. So I think history is repeating itself as a marketing excuse to raise diesel prices because of low sulfur fuel.

The Chrysler engineers also told me that refineries dump a lot of left over junk in diesel so they don't have to pay to get rid of it. The new low sulfur fuel will have to be cleaner, so that could raise prices. But .$40 to a $1.00 difference between gas and diesel, should be one of those famous Congress investigations. Start those letters and phone calls to your representatives. And look for bio diesel.

The good side is research will increase and your kids may be burning water (hydrogen fuel cell) in their Kia crew cab diesel quadrasteer.

Is profit such a bad thing? If you're a Exxon share holder, you be thrilled - the last time I checked a company is SUPPOSED to make a profit. In this way they can hire people, make investments in buildings and facilites and maybe even drill for more oil. Let think about what if Exxon lost money- people would lose jobs, investments scaled back, they might even leave the engery business altogether. How would this benefit you?

This is not to say I am happy about fuel prices. Not because oil companies are making money but of the long term damage to our economy. But I blame the US govt and environmental wackos for limited new drilling and refinery capacity,mandating new fuel blends for different parts of the country.

don't forget the cure for high prices is high prices- gasoline demand( and prices) has dropped since prices rocketed and I suspect diesel fuel will also fall especially if there is a huge increase in alternative fuel use for home heating. But to blame about oil company profits is a red herring.

Call me crazy but I would like to have had several more weeks of $3.00+ gas.  Maybe it would have shut up some of those NIMBY (not in my back yard) people who complain anytime a oil company wants to expand or build a new refinery. I am sure those evil oil people want to put some of that profit back into their company to expand their production facilities so they can make more profits and as a byproduct reduce the cost of gas/diesel.

Lets see $3.50 is pretty darn cheap when compared to some other obscene costs we pay.

$1 bottle of watter would be about $6.40/gal

.50 can of pop would be $5.30/gal

3.00 coffee  would be $32.00/gal

2.00 beer would be $21.3/gal

just something to think about.

2.00 beer would be $21.3/gal

Now there is a frightening number!

  Don't forget fingernail polish - the world's most expensive paint.

I live in Johnson County Texas.  I can throw a rock and hit 8 oil rigs and they are producing!   THAT's the part I don't understand.  So does it fall soley on the refineries?  He have oil! 

It would take a lot more than ALL the rigs in Tx to be producing to reduce the price of oil.  It's a worldwide market and the world's oil rigs aren't producing enough to make an excess supply.  Only when the supply is greater than the demand will the price come down.

I've read that the price of fuel in Europe has gone up because of our hurricane troubles.    I'll bet that's another thing the Euros don't like about "US"

BP heading for record profits
25/10/2005 - 08:29:42

Oil giant BP was on course today to set a new benchmark for annual profits by a British company despite disruption caused by the hurricane season in the US.

BP reported profits of $14.88bn (€12.5bn) for the nine months to September 30 – up 25% on a year earlier – and close to its annual surplus of $15.4bn (€12.8bn) in 2004.

Hi every one... I filled up my truck today and paid $2.87 a gal for fuel. It was nice to see a drop for once.. Finally its below $3.00.. At lease for now anyway. By the way I filled up in Conyers GA.

Hope everyone has a safe Halloween

I think we'll find car/gas/insurance/tax prices rise and that will force lower income people into public transportation.  I think cars will be for the upper middle class and above.  The poor old boy that works in his truck may also live in it too...

Hopefully more people will take the train/bus/light rail and heaven forbid they CARPOOL!

Texas has an epidemic...people that can't be without their car, like they'll lose every freedom ever known to mankind.  They charge more for gas in Texas because we are dumb enough to buy it...we'll pay any price!

food is too cheap-

Well ok fine. But I might remind you that not to long ago the price of milk jumped dramatically. The stores in our area had to post flyers explaining the cost to angry consumers. People love to feel sorry for the farmers until the price of beef, pork or chicken goes up then suddenly you guys lose that loving feeling for us.

You should be GLAD and THANKFUl food is not only plentiful and cheap. But if you still feel badly and want to help, just send you CASH contributions to the Farmbabe Fund for Underprivelged Farmers....