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GasBuddy News Article


Fuming over gas questions
Sunday, October 05, 2008
knoxvillebiz.com -- Short supply, volatile prices spark frustration in Knox area; experts say problem rooted largely in nonlocal factors. Gulf Coast damage from hurricanes nearly a month ago has subsided, but consumers almost a thousand miles away in Knoxville are still reeling from fluctuating gasoline prices and short supply. As the costs they're counting grow, their frustration does, too, and many are demanding explanations. Prices have dropped to below-hurricane levels but intermittent outages at reliable retailers around the area continue to spook motorists, who increasingly are driving to more than one location to find gas. Businesses that depend on gas or diesel for delivering products and services also are tallying the expense.

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JT
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Message Posted: 10/4/2008 10:51:23 PM  Ignore JT Report Abuse
Sunday, October 05, 2008
knoxvillebiz.com -- Short supply, volatile prices spark frustration in Knox area; experts say problem rooted largely in nonlocal factors. Gulf Coast damage from hurricanes nearly a month ago has subsided, but consumers almost a thousand miles away in Knoxville are still reeling from fluctuating gasoline prices and short supply. As the costs they're counting grow, their frustration does, too, and many are demanding explanations. Prices have dropped to below-hurricane levels but intermittent outages at reliable retailers around the area continue to spook motorists, who increasingly are driving to more than one location to find gas. Businesses that depend on gas or diesel for delivering products and services also are tallying the expense.

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REPLIES (newest first)
Kowkisser
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Albany

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Message Posted: 10/7/2008 12:42:06 PM  Ignore Kowkisser Report Abuse
Jagman98
You are right. I mistyped. I should have typed "If _MORE_ refineries were built around NYC..." because even with the ones currently in Jersey, refined gas still must be piped north to the region. Maybe also add some in New England.

But it still does not affect my main point which is that spreading out the refineries would prevent nationwide shortages, but not local ones.
Jagman98
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Louisville

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Message Posted: 10/7/2008 6:42:45 AM  Ignore Jagman98 Report Abuse
"If refineries were built around NYC,"...........drive through Newark, NJ......that's one reason why NJ has some of the lowest gas in the US...even with the fact that most all stations are "Full" service.....
magnumCA
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Los Angeles

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 7:52:03 PM  Ignore magnumCA Report Abuse
Excellent
Kowkisser
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Albany

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 12:46:15 PM  Ignore Kowkisser Report Abuse
Even if we built refineries in other parts of the country, it would not have done any good for the southeast. The pipeline going to the Knoxville area would still have been shut down. They still would not have enough oil. The only time it would make a difference is when they shut down the refineries and cause a nationwide problem.
If refineries were built around NYC, it would take some of the pressure off the pipelines, and there would not be any extra need for tanker trucks. The same could be done in the LA area.
More refineries would also be helpful when some need to be taken offline for maintenance or other problems, as well. However, local shortages would still occur.
mrgots2000
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New York

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 9:26:35 AM  Ignore mrgots2000 Report Abuse
price gouging and artificial shortages, the week ago the government came out with it's inventories on gasoline and there was a rise in inventories, meaning either less consumption or more production, either way nearly a month later the refineries are 100% back online, so the shortage pressures should have subsided by now.

either way fuel is still to high, last time the barrel of oil was this low, gasoline prices were hovering around 2.50, Oklahoma is the only city near those prices at around 2.90 a gallon, here in new york city it's up near 3.70 a gallon, what the hell!!! I pissed, Im angry and i'm not driving my beautiful convertable as much anymore, not untill prices come down to where they should be, im not gonna be gouged, i'm not gonna be ripped off. I'm boycotting gasoline prices by not consuming, last month i consume only 6 gallons of fuel, using my vehicle only when no other alternative was available.
ramshot412
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Riverside

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 9:12:55 AM  Ignore ramshot412 Report Abuse
Still need to conserve.
rockinrog
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Ontario

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 9:11:45 AM  Ignore rockinrog Report Abuse
How long will this take.....
zmancbr
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Colorado

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 9:06:19 AM  Ignore zmancbr Report Abuse
Very old news...
wizzard1222
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St. Louis

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:56:38 AM  Ignore wizzard1222 Report Abuse
Crude @ $90 and dropping!
krucker
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Austin

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:53:56 AM  Ignore krucker Report Abuse
OLD NEWS
NavyEOD
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Los Angeles

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:53:32 AM  Ignore NavyEOD Report Abuse
Need to conserve.
HerrZimmer
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Connecticut

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:47:52 AM  Ignore HerrZimmer Report Abuse
doom and gloom!
greywolves
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Las Vegas

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:46:15 AM  Ignore greywolves Report Abuse
and the beat goes on
hblee
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Ontario

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:46:06 AM  Ignore hblee Report Abuse
Maybe the consumers should demand a rebate from the oil companies for the
expenses incurred while looking for fuel.
AlaRedNeck
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Kansas

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:45:06 AM  Ignore AlaRedNeck Report Abuse
we should all be fuming. Gas has fallen below $2.95 here and we are happy about it? The oil companies and Bush/Cheney have made us HAPPY to pay a price that is still over inflated. But don't worry, we will have the last laugh, they have also destroyed our economy and when we are all unemployed none of us will be able to buy gas.
DADDYBGG
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Oklahoma City

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:43:17 AM  Ignore DADDYBGG Report Abuse
crazy stuff i say
DieselX
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Chicago

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:42:43 AM  Ignore DieselX Report Abuse
seems noone has good answers
Don20
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Oklahoma City

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:41:55 AM  Ignore Don20 Report Abuse
The consumer has a right to be fuming..
eaglev
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Oklahoma City

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:40:01 AM  Ignore eaglev Report Abuse
The supply line is not working to this area.
Lenguado
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Orlando

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:39:31 AM  Ignore Lenguado Report Abuse
How about blaming the DemonCrats for blocking any new exporation, drilling and refining over the last 20 years......
ptmacgjr
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Akron

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:38:59 AM  Ignore ptmacgjr Report Abuse
I did, about 10 years ago, my dad said to put money into stocks of oil companies. I watched em for 2 years, then when they didn't go down {especially just before an election) I put my money into oil stocks. I love this. I didn't do nothing, and I love it.
kingpin6
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Arkansas

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:38:36 AM  Ignore kingpin6 Report Abuse
I agree that there is something fishy with the so-called shortages in TN, GA and NC. Ike is long gone, and the rest of the country seems to have adequate supplies.
iluna
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Colorado Springs

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:36:28 AM  Ignore iluna Report Abuse
Ike has come & gone & there's plenty of fuel to go around. What is going on here? Maybe a criminal investigation IS in order. Something's mighty fishy here!

[Edited by: iluna at 10/6/2008 10:36:46 AM EST]
chemist74
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Cleveland

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:35:54 AM  Ignore chemist74 Report Abuse
The article covers many of the causes that most people are aware of.

Most regions get their gasoline by one or two of the major gasoline pipelines. Each pipeline gets gasoline from only a few of the major refineries. If a number of the refineries supplying the pipeline that supplies the terminal in your region shut down, you will have shortages in your region even if there are no shortages in other regions.

The major pipelines are owned by separate companies (not the oil companies). Many pipelines operate near capacity and do not have the intfrastructure to pick up demand when other pipelines are down.

Storing enough gasoline in each region to meet demand for a couple of weeks would cost a fortune and no one wants to make the investment when it only decreases profits. Stockpiles in regions basically are equivalent to what drivers have in the tanks of their cars, what stations have in their tanks to hold them until their next delivery from the terminal and what the terminal has in its tanks to hold it until its next scheduled withdrawl from the pipeline. (Pipelines transport many different fuels on a schedule and terminals must schedule their withdrawls far ahead of time.)

There is very little "excess" tank truck and railroad tank car capacity to move gasolines into these regions. Most gasoline tank trucks are already moving fuel between terminals and stations. Diverting them to move gasoline into large regions when pipelines are down would make little difference other than creating some shortages where the trucks came from. (Because there would not be enough trucks to move gasoline from terminals with gas to gas stations.)
dougrusty
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Illinois

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:35:38 AM  Ignore dougrusty Report Abuse
It is ridiculous that it has gone this far.
BBHybrid
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Pittsburgh

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:34:29 AM  Ignore BBHybrid Report Abuse
why is nothing being done?
MacGyver_1701
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Indiana

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:30:26 AM  Ignore MacGyver_1701 Report Abuse
Someone is making money in the supply chain. Find this money, and you find the problem.
Rageagainsttm
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Tampa

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:29:37 AM  Ignore Rageagainsttm Report Abuse
It is high time this has been resolved.
mahenv7
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Toronto

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:28:57 AM  Ignore mahenv7 Report Abuse
as usual, poor management practices
tbybee
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Omaha

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:26:26 AM  Ignore tbybee Report Abuse
Considering crude is under $100 that has to be frustrating.
rxman1
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Toledo

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:23:42 AM  Ignore rxman1 Report Abuse
I agree with Plebe2001 but after checking into the shortage see if criminal charges could be brought. This will stop this from happening in the future.
mrpc90
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Illinois

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:23:40 AM  Ignore mrpc90 Report Abuse
Drill here, drill now, pay less.

Leftover story from yesterday.
Zinnoil
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Illinois

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:23:36 AM  Ignore Zinnoil Report Abuse
Where's the gas?
BBopp
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Dayton

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:21:57 AM  Ignore BBopp Report Abuse
It is high time this has been resolved. Utter insanity.
Plebe2001
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Philadelphia

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:18:52 AM  Ignore Plebe2001 Report Abuse
Your local officials should be the ones to check into this shortage to determine fairly what was the cause of the shortage and what can be done to prevent it in the future.
roydarecker
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Minnesota

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:17:47 AM  Ignore roydarecker Report Abuse
geography, I think we need more pipelines and refineries spread out across this country so we don't have this problem.
w4kh
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Riverside

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:17:35 AM  Ignore w4kh Report Abuse
Drilling more of our own oil will *ONLY* put more profit in the pockets of the Big Oil Companies... They will sell it in the GLOBAL Market and you addicts will never see a drop in pump prices bec aue the rest of the world is used to paying $10/gallon for gasoline...
EZExit
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Phoenix

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:16:36 AM  Ignore EZExit Report Abuse
When a company goes to propose a new refinery, people complain "not in my backyard", and of course the local politicians jump on board after seeing which way the wind blows. That's even the case when a refinery will blow away the EPA standards for emisions. We all want reasonably priced gas, but none of us are willing to allow anyone to build a refinery, drill locally for oil, or pay for development of alternative fuels. What we see is what we get as a result, in addition to oil companies now that have an enhanced monopoly on oil supplies and charge (and get away with it) way overinflated prices.
jppezz
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New Mexico

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:13:01 AM  Ignore jppezz Report Abuse
we must drill more of our own oil
sailormon
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Michigan

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:12:38 AM  Ignore sailormon Report Abuse
I think questions need to be asked. I never understood how just a few states had the shortages, yet we various refineries around the country that were not hit, and transportation to get the product there.
flatcoatfun
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Orlando

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:12:12 AM  Ignore flatcoatfun Report Abuse
This is what I call reporting - someone actually getting all the information and publishing it so people can learn. Wish there was more of this going on in the newspapers!!!
soulsrfr
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Jacksonville

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:11:50 AM  Ignore soulsrfr Report Abuse
People want more refineries but nobody wants them in their area. Can not have it both ways. Conservation will work. Just keep with it.
21597
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Colorado

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:08:03 AM  Ignore 21597 Report Abuse
more oil, coal and refineries
91_Metro_Man
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Ventura

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:07:35 AM  Ignore 91_Metro_Man Report Abuse
Don't they get it?
amacquarrie
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Nevada

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:03:03 AM  Ignore amacquarrie Report Abuse
same old thing
ladybugIL
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Chicago

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:02:52 AM  Ignore ladybugIL Report Abuse
I hope that the new president will find people intelligent enough to organize this mess we have with gas shortages.
qclady
Rookie Author
Quad Cities

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 8:02:11 AM  Ignore qclady Report Abuse
I agree we have needed more refineries for some time now. Think of the jobs it would make
CheapoBob
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Alabama

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 7:58:37 AM  Ignore CheapoBob Report Abuse
old
nags1head
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North Carolina

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 7:58:33 AM  Ignore nags1head Report Abuse
We need more refineries.
JuneP
Sophomore Author
Phoenix

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Message Posted: 10/6/2008 7:58:29 AM  Ignore JuneP Report Abuse
Wow, that guy sure did his research for this article. Thanks for all the information. It also makes it pretty clear that we need more refineries very soon
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