I tend to agree, we need more refining capacity. Obama blamed the oil company execs this AM on the radio for not investing in more refiniing capacity - yeah, right, like the tree huggers and the NIMBY's would let them!
But still, while I'm generally a free market guy, you run into a problem when a few suppliers can strangle a market. It's not a monopoly, it's not really a consortium, there's no real way to prove collusion. And it's not really a free market - I'm not going to start an oil company next week just because I have a few bucks and I'm sure I can do it cheaper than Exxon.
Then too, not a little part of this increase is because the dollar is weak on the global market and so the foreign oil costs more dollars, no matter the demand.
And demand IS strong, and growing world-wide. What can WE do? On a practical level, SLOW DOWN! I can't get over how I am constantly passed by Escalades, Navigators, and the like blowing by at 65-70 mph or more - guess if I had one of those behemoths I could afford the gas - but still, slowing down can make a HUGE difference in over-the-road consumption. Air resistance goes up as the square of your speed, and overall energy use as the CUBE - so 70 mph vs 60 is a 59% increase in fuel usage for the same distance. 60 to 75 is nearly double - 95.3%
Next, stay off the brakes! Mechanical brakes are wasted energy. Try to keep your speed constant, don't run up on the slow poke in the passing lane (though it boils my blood as well), try to anticipate stops and let off the gas.
Get up to highway speed on the merge ramps and pick your spot, and if you're out there and see someone on the ramp (say, a trucker with a big load who couldn't get up to highway speed), try to move over - if we cooperate and think of the other guy, we can all make things go smoother.
Of course we all know the old saws about a good tune up, tire pressure, etc, and these remain important - plus no jackrabbit starts, all that. But at the same time, it's all about flow - taking a real slow windup from a stoplight when there's a huge line of traffic is wasting more gas behind you than you're saving, I'd reckon.
I drive a supercharged 240 hp GM car, and I get 25 mpg using these easy-go methods. Considering 50% of my 26 mile commute is urban, I think that's pretty good.
Still, The only way to lower these prices that is in our immediate control is to lower demand. No matter what the gov't does, it will take a while, and they'll probably just screw things up worse. Cut out optional driving, combine trips - we probably all do this now just out of pure necessity - but look for more ways to cut if at all possible, just to help lower demand overall. And give truckers - and other motorists - a break. The smoother, the more uniform the flow, the less wasted energy.
Past this, I'd say we need to demand of our state lawmakers that they agree on a set of standards to stop the summer blending of "boutique" fuels - If I have my info right, during summer the refineries have to put out some 25 or 26 different blends to meet various state antipollution regulations. That's a huge expense, and we see it every spring. That's gotta be Stupid, Class 1. I may have my info wrong on this, though, so if anyone has anything better...
That's enough for now.
Try clicking on it and see where it takes you. 'They' didn't do anything to your link.
