$3 Pain At The Pump

January 2, 2011

The New Year is bringing pain at the pump. The price of a gallon of regular gas has topped the $3 mark around the North Escambia area, and analysts say prices will only continue to rise in the new year.

The average price of a gallon of standard-grade gasoline in Escambia County was $3.04. That’s up 43 cents a gallon from the year-ago price of $2.61, according to the daily price survey published by AAA.

Analysts with AAA said pump prices will likely increase through January, hold steady in February and then jump again in the spring. By the second quarter, gas prices of $3.75 are predicted, with more increases during the summertime.

John Hofmeister, an ex-president at Shell Oil, has told several national media outlets that $5 a gallon gas could be a reality by 2012.

The highest-ever average price for a gallon of regular unleaded in Escambia County was $4.05 in July of 2008.

Pictured: Gas tops $3 a gallon at this station on Highway 29 at Roberts Road. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

18 Responses to “$3 Pain At The Pump”

  1. Didleysquat on January 4th, 2011 12:35 pm

    “At least, ACCORDING TO THE GOVERNMENT (emphasis added)and that makes it official”. Now, we’re on the same page, (I think)

  2. David Huie Green on January 4th, 2011 7:11 am

    REGARDING:
    “My point about the cost of living was that I don’t know of ANYTHING that has not gone up in two years, do you?”

    Sure you do, gas is still cheaper. (so far), houses have dropped in price since they were so high two years ago due to the housing bubble. Check prices on other items and see if you can’t find things which dropped.

    again, they’re higher than they were last week, than last month, but not higher than they were at the end of the third quarter in 2008. They dropped then have been rising. but have not risen as high as they were back then. At least according to the government, so that makes it official.

    David the trusting

  3. Jane on January 3rd, 2011 7:18 pm

    So then we retire at 62 becoz we can’t afford to drive, or eat or drink coffee…then the congress gives itself a BIG FAT raise and seniors get nothing! The congress decides to cut medicare (to kill us off) and cut social security becoz there are too many retirees (as if no one figured out that would happen!)…AND CONGRESS gets a RAISE!! Email your congressman!

  4. Ifish4 on January 3rd, 2011 5:40 pm

    Put simply the Consumer Price Index as it is, is a joke and should be abolished.

  5. Didleysquat on January 3rd, 2011 11:53 am

    My point about the cost of living was that I don’t know of ANYTHING that has not gone up in two years, do you?

  6. David Huie Green on January 3rd, 2011 7:08 am

    And now you know why we got out of the Phillipines

  7. Merriel Sanders on January 2nd, 2011 10:54 pm

    To my friends in North Escambia County, enjoy the $3 per gal. reg. gas…. Regular gas here in Cebu City, Philippines is $4.48 per gal.

  8. Sandra on January 2nd, 2011 5:58 pm

    Fuel and grocery costs were removed from the calculation for the consumer price index a few years back. I suspect that this was done because fluctuations in both were predicted and someone knew that it would skew the index.

  9. David Huie Green on January 2nd, 2011 4:31 pm

    yes, but we will realize there are things we don’t need to do and places we don’t need to go.

    It will also affect where people choose to live, if it costs them a hundred dollars per week to commute to work from one location and costs ten from a second or a thousand from a third, we might live closer to work than we do when gas is cheap.

    It will affect where we choose to shop. If we can go 50 miles and save a dollar but lose it to the burnt gas, we may decide to shop locally more often. Cheap gas killed most local stores. Expensive gas would bring some of them back.

    It just takes a while to adjust. That’s when the major moaning and groaning takes place.

    David for free energy

  10. me on January 2nd, 2011 4:23 pm

    it doesn’t really matter what gas goes up to, we will still buy it and still goand do what we need to do….a proven fact

  11. David Huie Green on January 2nd, 2011 4:14 pm

    I thought we addressed this. Cost of Living Adjustment is only to be made when the third quarter Consumer Price Index-W gets above what it was the last time one was made. That was 2008.

    This is based on a law passed by Congress in 1973. There is not supposed to be an automatic increase every year. There is to be an increase only when it gets above what it was the LAST time it was raised. I imagine the $4.20 per gallon price we paid back in 2008 contributed to the last COLA but then it dropped and hasn’t gotten back that high even today.

    Further, it is not pegged only on the price of gasoline but on a number of things. The composite has to rise for it to kick in, not individual items.

    Since you don’t like that ancient law, petition your congressman to give you an automatic 50 percent per year raise if you think you deserve one.

    David for alternative energy sources
    and fiscal responsibility
    from others, anyway

  12. just a thought on January 2nd, 2011 4:14 pm

    One way for this country to come out of this recession is if the large gas companies would make gas prices extremely lower for consumers. After all, aren’t they having exorbitant profits for themselves every year? Would be nice if they took less of a profit and helped out the country as a whole.

  13. Didleysquat on January 2nd, 2011 12:55 pm

    According to the spinmasters in the present administration, prices have not gone up in the last two years. Social Security recipients are supposed to get a cost of living increase each year. The government says that the cost of living has not gone up in the last two years, so we didn’t get a raise. I wonder where they shop…

  14. Concerned citizen 1 on January 2nd, 2011 11:17 am

    Min wage is a joke. It does not balance anything out. Not with the price increases we are having ..did you know a year ago 1 egg cost you about 7 cents …now it cost 15 cent for 1egg. Food prices are crazy with less in the packs and you pay more for it. Coke is trying to change the number you get in a case instead of 24 cokes in a case they are packing them at 20 ,,,but you pay the same or more. And 5 bucks for a gallon of milk? Crazy…I agree with Capt. All of this trickles down … It hurts all. We need to stand up and do something. I don’t want to be standing on the street corner with a sign. I don’t want to close my business either…but coming very close to it. I hope this is gonna be a great year. Just have to stay positive!

  15. fatherofone on January 2nd, 2011 7:26 am

    it’s just ridiculous!

  16. Capt. on January 2nd, 2011 6:48 am

    The perdiction i made back in Nov. is coming true when William said it was more expensive to go to grandmas house for Thanksgiving I made the comment that gas would be $4.00 gal by the spring,,this is caused by the moratorium that has been in place in the gulf since the Horizon incident(no drill permits have been issued),this means we r importing more foreign oil more than before,there have been thousands of people who lost their jobs because of this and the 11 men that died…for this…the company that i work for has already layed numerous people off and tied up vessel that work the rigs,this is a domino effect,Now they r unemployed,from steel plants that provided pipe to the grocery stores that provide grocery’s,this will continue until we stand up and tell the government , epa , tree hunggers to back off,Remember this when u r drinking bottle water or using a cell phone or on the computer which is all made from petroleum,,this is something i think they fail to remember,,what was spilled in the gulf was natural product it came from mother earth SHE will take care of it. this is not like the Valdez incident were it was a man made product (from crude) yes i know i will get a argument about this all the time, but just remember this when u jump in your car/truck/suv to go to the store,now u become part of the problem not the solution.????
    The whole thing comes to us the people we need pull our head out of the sand and tell the government enough is enough,,just think u or me could be the person on the street corner holding a sign……….. :)

  17. worker on January 2nd, 2011 2:05 am

    And minimum wage will increase to balance as it always has.

  18. just call me joe on January 2nd, 2011 12:53 am

    It’s gonna get to where people with only part time jobs or minimum wage jobs won’t be able to afford to go to work. They will be losing money.