Gas Prices = Apprehension for Next Season?

[wa-loaf]

I don't know, but maybe I have a much smaller income than a lot of the people on this board. But when the oil I pay for is going to go from $2.59 to $4-5, that's about double the the cost and it really makes me think twice about what I can afford to do next year. That extra $1-2k a year cuts directly into any money I have available for skiing. That's the recreation and fun money and it's also the first to go if things get too tight. I'm sure there are plenty of other people in the same boat in NE.

 

[tjf67]

Alternative energy/technology is not the immediate answer. I'm not sure what is, but come on....you don't think there is enough incentive for alternative energy already? The government shouldn't need to mandate anything. The American entrepreneurial spirit should really be all that is needed. But until then, we as a society are dependent on petroleum products and that's going to be the case for the near term, bottom line.

The goverment was created for the people by the people. If we want it they should mandate it. No there is not enough incentive. The pay off is infinite but the capital needed is as well. Who would do it? The oil companies. I dont know ,if I were a ceo of an oil company I would not be in a hurry to do anything except exercise my options.

We better get cracking on it cause the near term in the 70's was a long time ago.

 

[wa-loaf]

This isn't an oil price problem. It's the collapse of the US dollar that has caused the problem If you are buying oil paying Euros, the prices have not gone up anywhere near as much.

Oil is traded and bought in dollars world wide, so everybody is effected. It's actually caused bigger disruptions outside of the US with truckers going on strike all over: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dy...06/10/AR2008061002877.html?hpid=moreheadlines

 

[Moe Ghoul]

This isn't an oil price problem. It's the collapse of the US dollar that has caused the problem If you are buying oil paying Euros, the prices have not gone up anywhere near as much.

...so blame the government for lousy fiscal and monetary policies. You can't spend more than you make for two generations and not expect to pay the piper at some point. Until congress comes close to balancing the budget through some mix of tax increases and spending cuts, it's just going to get worse. The next president won't be able to do a thing about it since congress controls the money.

The market will do the right thing with the soaring energy prices. SUVs will vanish. People will stop heating with oil. People will start using public transporation. People will telecommute instead of commuting hundreds of miles per week. People will tighten up their homes to make them more efficient. Even at $5/gallon, gasoline and diesel are still the most cost effective way to achieve personal transportation. If things keep going up, hydrogen starts becoming a more economical alternative. You can burn coal, use hydro, or nuclear to make hydrogen and you can pipe it wherever you want.

The short-term impact on eastern ski resorts is pretty worrying. $5.00/gallon will cause a pretty big drop in skier visits. If I were in the ski business in northern New England, I'd be taking a hard look at how to get people up to my resort and transport them around my resort without automobiles. The metro-NYC market has a train option but the train is expensive (because it's mostly empty all the time) and has a lousy schedule (contributing to it running empty). The answer is probably bus service. What you really need is a big population of skiing bus drivers. You drive the bus up on a Friday evening, ski on comp tickets, and drive the bus back to the flatlands on Sunday evening. There are an awful lot of charter bus companies with equipment that is lightly used in the winter. You could make it work.

You summed that up quite nicely. USD will see another ~30-40% debasement in the next 5 years.

 

[tjf67]

.

the euro and dollar were on par in 2002. Oil was 25 dollars per barrel.

It is now 130 dollars per barrel and it is about 85 euros per barrel.

It cost the saudies 2 dollars per barrel to pull it out of the ground.

 

[tjf67]

You summed that up quite nicely. USD will see another ~30-40% debasement in the next 5 years.

Statements like this are so far out there I dont know which is sillier. The statement itself or the people that think it is a fact.
BUBBLES BURST

 

[Moe Ghoul]

Statements like this are so far out there I dont know which is sillier. The statement itself or the people that think it is a fact.
BUBBLES BURST

That's what folks said when oil hit 50,60, 70,80,90...blaming everything except our currency getting trashed. Gold has tripled. Watch and learn.

 

[jack97]

.

the euro and dollar were on par in 2002. Oil was 25 dollars per barrel.

It is now 130 dollars per barrel and it is about 85 euros per barrel.

It cost the saudies 2 dollars per barrel to pull it out of the ground.

Maybe the Saudis have high health care cost or a higher standard of living now

 

[frozencorn]

Maybe the easy thing is just to move to the mountains to conserve. I'll use this excuse with my wife.

 

[hiroto]

Alternative energy/technology is not the immediate answer.

But I'm hoping it is getting pretty close.

Many electric cars are supposed to be coming out starting in 2010. I like the concept of GM Volt, although I don't care for the packaging. I'm hoping mini-van with same power train will follow behind. Local startup is competing to be the battery supplier for this car.

Recently I signed up for NSTAR Green to have our electricity to be 100% wind generated. Yes it is a gimmick but I like to show my support for this technology. They will buy electricity from Maple Ridge Wind Farm (upper NY), and there is Kibby Wind Power Project planned up in Maine.

 

[jack97]

can i ride a moped to vermont in the winter? with my skis strapped to my back?

No sh!t, a couple of years ago, one of the coldest day in Jan recorded, I crossed the bridge to pull into Berkshire East and saw a kid riding his bicycle with a snow board strapped across his back.

 

[andyzee]

can i ride a moped to vermont in the winter? with my skis strapped to my back?

A couple of drinks, and yes you can.

 

[skiadikt]

oil surging again after latest inventory report:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices are soaring in response to a government report that the nation's oil inventories fell more than expected last week.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery is up $4.50 at $135.81 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, prices approached $137.

The Energy Department said oil inventories fell by 4.6 million barrels last week. Analysts had expected a much smaller decline of about 1.4 million barrels.

 

[snoseek]

Out first ~1,000 square foot house built in 1929 was far less efficient than our current ~2,400 square foot house built in 2005.



Nothing. And I also do not believe that folks who own them don't have a right to be upset about rising fuel costs. When we bought our Grand Cherokee in 2004, we never expected gas prices to be $4.25. We also have a 2000 Cherokee and have made the decision to buy a more fuel-efficient car to replace that one in the next year or so.

I've read lot's of stuff in the past that has pointed towards this happening. It must have been in the back of your mind when making suv purpose. Every time I get gas it seems like there is someone with big car or truck complaining and I think they have been living in denial for a long time.

Yeah I guess 2000 sf isn't really all that big, it's just so much larger than what people in most other areas of the world would live in. My gf works for a design firm that works on several 20,000+ square foot homes, the definition of excessive. These folks could care less about the cost of fuel I'm sure.

I do stand by my statement that suv's will have an awful trade in value in the coming months and years, I don't know it could already be the case. I can't imagine dealers having much demand for a f-350

 

[wa-loaf]

.

the euro and dollar were on par in 2002. Oil was 25 dollars per barrel.

It is now 130 dollars per barrel and it is about 85 euros per barrel.

It cost the saudies 2 dollars per barrel to pull it out of the ground.

C'mon we all know there's no connection to what it costs to produce the barrel to what it goes for on the open market. It's whoever is willing to pay the most for that barrel who sets the price. That's where the speculators come in in raising the price of oil, they are betting the price will keep going up and thus are willing to keep paying more and more for it as long as demand stays up. Only good thing about the prices going up is that it makes other methods of extraction and alternate fuels affordable. If and when these alternates come on line it should lower demand/increase supply and prices should level off. We just don't know where that leveling point is.

 

[snoseek]

That's what folks said when oil hit 50,60, 70,80,90...blaming everything except our currency getting trashed. Gold has tripled. Watch and learn.

I'm actually going to pan for gold later today!

 

[Moe Ghoul]

I'm actually going to pan for gold later today!

Cool. I've always wanted to try that for kicks. Looks like a fun way to kill a day by a river or stream.

 

[drjeff]

oil surging again after latest inventory report:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Oil prices are soaring in response to a government report that the nation's oil inventories fell more than expected last week.

Light, sweet crude for July delivery is up $4.50 at $135.81 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, prices approached $137.

The Energy Department said oil inventories fell by 4.6 million barrels last week. Analysts had expected a much smaller decline of about 1.4 million barrels.

Probably just caused by a supertanker or 2 that couldn't make it all the way into port for unloading due to weather conditions - that's what happened 2 weeks ago atleast

 

[snoseek]

Cool. I've always wanted to try that for kicks. Looks like a fun way to kill a day by a river or stream.

right now it's actually profitable. I've already got some from the last two times. In a couple months I'll trade it all in for actual money. It's pretty tedious but kind of peaceful. The water is so cold it makes my hand numb. I find this a good activity to smoke herb and do.

 

[Greg]

I've read lot's of stuff in the past that has pointed towards this happening. It must have been in the back of your mind when making suv purpose. Every time I get gas it seems like there is someone with big car or truck complaining and I think they have been living in denial for a long time.

Not really. Sure, I expected gas prices to go up, but not double. With that said, a new car purchase is in the near future and a full sized SUV is off the table solely due to gas prices.

Yeah I guess 2000 sf isn't really all that big, it's just so much larger than what people in most other areas of the world would live in.

Not sure about you, but I have no interest in living in some other part of the world. Call me a spoiled American all you want. Anyway, coming from a 1000 square foot home, we did feel the new house was almost obscene at first. Amazing how quickly you can fill it up though. But anyway, no regrets. We take a lot of pride and our home and plan to be here for probably 20-30 years. I haven't done the math but it probably costs us 75% more to heat/cool a home two and a half times the size. That's pretty good.

I do stand by my statement that suv's will have an awful trade in value in the coming months and years, I don't know it could already be the case. I can't imagine dealers having much demand for a f-350

Well, my 2000 Cherokee has over 160,000 miles on it now so it's not going to be worth shit anyway. I plan to drive the Grand Cherokee into the ground too despite the crappy fuel efficiency. The next vehicle to replace the Cherokee will be more fuel efficient, likely a Forrester at this point.