gas

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Gas Hits 5-Year Low
 Gas Hits 5-Year Low 

Gas Hits 5-Year Low

$1.66 a gallon average is cheapest since February 2004

(Newser) - The average national price of gasoline fell 9 cents in the past two weeks, bringing it to its lowest point in nearly five years, according to a national survey released today. The average price of regular gasoline Friday was $1.66 a gallon. The price of mid-grade was $1.80...

Gas Prices Plummet Below $2
 Gas Prices Plummet Below $2 

Gas Prices Plummet Below $2

But low cost fuel isn't getting more people on the road

(Newser) - As crude oil sank below $50 for the first time in years, gas prices in America continued their precipitous fall, with the average cost of a gallon below $2 today for the first time since 2005. The turnabout is the sharpest since the government began tracking prices in 1980. Suddenly,...

In Need of a Buck, Many Donate Plasma

Donors seek 'a little extra gas money'

(Newser) - With unemployment and costs of living up, blood plasma donations are an increasingly popular option for those in need of a little extra cash, the Chicago Tribune reports. Donors compensated with $20 to $45 are an invaluable part of a $10 billion dollar industry that supplies drugs to fight hemophilia...

Ike Hits Fuel Production, May Cause Shortages

Experts warn of shortage for 'extended period'

(Newser) - Hurricane Ike’s assault on the Gulf Coast has closed over 19% of US refinery capacity and may hurt delivery nationwide, Bloomberg reports. At least 13 Texas refineries have shut down operations, which may trigger a gasoline shortage in the southern and eastern US—and it may last a while,...

Small Dips in Gas Prices Send Drivers Back to SUVs

Consumers viewing fuel efficiency as 'one factor' again

(Newser) - Oil prices have been falling since mid-June, and though it’s debatable whether speculators or market fundamentals drove the boom (and now possible bust), it is clear that $4 a gallon gas crimped demand. But for how long? With prices now again below that psychological threshold but still $1.19...

Car Sharing Rides $4 Gas to Increased Popularity

Zipcar catches on nationwide

(Newser) - With gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, car sharing as an alternative to car ownership is finally gaining traction, reports Newsweek. Started 8 years ago, the best-known car-sharing company, Zipcar, rents communal vehicles by the hour or day. Both cost-efficient and eco-friendly, the company charges members about $10 an...

Even Texas Is Going Electric
 Even Texas Is Going Electric

Even Texas Is Going Electric

Gas costs make 'golf carts' smart choices

(Newser) - High gas prices are forcing Americans to seriously pursue other transportation options—even in Texas, the heart of oil country. Chrysler’s Global Electric Motorcar division, which sells tiny, utilitarian vehicles, has seen dealerships triple sales. The Wall Street Journal visits a Texas family that’s embraced the cost-efficiency of...

NYC's Taxi Fleets in Race for Hybrids

Fall mandate means a rush to replace 3,000 taxis a year.

(Newser) - The Big Apple's unprecedented plan to turn its famous yellow cabs green could run into an old-fashioned supply-and-demand problem this fall, USA Today reports. Starting in October, the city is requiring that any new replacement cabs be hybrids. But the transition may be difficult because gas prices have triggered a...

Man Trades Baby Name for $100 Gas Card

Free fuel on offer for everything from brothels to bloodbanks

(Newser) - An Orlando man agreed to name his baby after two local radio hosts in exchange for a gift card worth $100 of gasoline, Reuters reports. The listener will collect the card in December, when his son is born, after producing a birth certificate. He's not the only American susceptible to...

Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome
Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome
OPINION

Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome

A call for a return to the days when driving was for rich jerks

(Newser) - Gas, as you may have heard, has topped $4 a gallon, and Joel Stein of the LA Times loves it. "Cheap gas is unfair," he argues, tongue mostly in cheek. Heck, why not make it $8 or even $10 a gallon, as in Europe, "where they have...

Gas Use Hits Record Low, Prices Still Sky High

Increasing supply fails to dent price

(Newser) - Soaring gas prices are changing Americans driving habits, cutting consumption to the lowest levels in five years, reports the Wall Street Journal. Gas consumption dropped by 3.3% to 9.3 million barrels a day compared with last year's Fourth of July holiday. Some 62% of Americans are changing summer...

Oil Tycoon Kicks Off Energy Campaign

Pickens wants to wean us from foreign supply with wind, natural gas

(Newser) - Billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is fed up with America’s dependence on oil and today launched a huge ad campaign to persuade the nation to kick its crude addiction, the Dallas Morning News reports. His "Pickens Plan" proposes that Americans swap gasoline for natural gas, then replace natural...

Easy St.: Thieves Having a Gas
 Easy St.: Thieves Having a Gas 

Easy St.: Thieves Having a Gas

As prices rise, anyone can steal fuel

(Newser) - Stealing gas by siphoning it from vehicles is a simple crime that can reap big rewards—and as fuel prices soar, the crime is ever-more tempting for thieves, the Washington Post reports. A Maryland county reported zero or one thefts yearly from 2005 to 2007, but cops have already logged...

The Good in $4 Gas
 The Good in $4 Gas 
GLOSSIES

The Good in $4 Gas

Less obesity, traffic, and accidents, for starters

(Newser) - The rest of the world may have thought it would never happen, but energy prices are beginning to change Americans' behavior. Time notes some positive aspects:
  1. Jobs lost to globalization return, because energy costs make international shipping unattractive.
  2. Suburban sprawl is slowing as people choose to live closer to cities.
...

Yanks Flood Mexico for Cheap Gas

50% surge in sales south of border

(Newser) - Soaring gas prices have Californians and Texans racing for the border and braving drug cartel violence to save some $20 per tank filling up in Mexico. American pumps have passed the $4 mark, but Mexican gas is still just $2.66 a gallon thanks to subsidies intended for poor Mexicans....

Goodbye, RV: Hello, Real Travel
 Goodbye, RV: Hello, Real Travel 
column

Goodbye, RV: Hello, Real Travel

Garrison Keillor applauds the death of his least favorite vehicle

(Newser) - With gas prices up and on the rise, your Winnebago may soon be stuck in park—but the fall of car culture's ugliest offender will force us to reconnect with better pastimes, writes Garrison Keillor in the Chicago Tribune. “Banjo sales will pick up,” Keillor writes. “The...

China Jacks Up Energy Prices
 China Jacks Up Energy Prices  

China Jacks Up Energy Prices

Gas, electricity see 17%-18% increases as nation cuts subsidies to trim demand

(Newser) - China will raise domestic energy prices starting tomorrow, the Wall Street Journal reports, with gas and diesel costs jumping 18%. China’s heavily subsidized fuel is still cheaper than international rates, and the move may be an attempt to appease foreign governments, who blame Beijing's intervention for letting demand rise...

At Last, US Gas Consumption Starts to Fall

High prices, economic crash cause first decline in 17 years

(Newser) - The price of gasoline quadrupled over the last decade, but Americans responded by driving more and more in ever-larger gas guzzlers as if nothing had changed. But $4 gas combined with an economic black hole may have finally gotten the message across, reports the New York Times, as American gasoline...

As Gas Prices Climb, So Do Gas Thefts

Tricky maneuvers help slake thirst for fuel

(Newser) - With gas prices soaring above $4 a gallon, gas thefts are up across the country, and thieves are devising ever-more-creative means of snatching the stuff, Newsweek reports. Some manage to keep the gas flowing after paying for only a few gallons; others siphon fuel from unsuspecting drivers’ SUVs. Some even...

Gas Rising, Station Owners Barrel Toward Bankruptcy

Fuel hits $4.41 a gallon in Los Angeles, and retailers aren't seeing the profit

(Newser) - Stiff fuel prices are not pouring cash into the pockets of California gas station owners—instead, they're driving them into bankruptcy. Credit card fees, tanker-load costs, and other rapidly increasing expenses are putting the crunch on retailers, reports the Los Angeles Times.

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