I really don't know what to make of the gas shortages. All that I hear about is that they are adding an a corn ingredient (ethanol)..and that we are getting some oil from Japan? What are your responses on the gas issue in the U.S.? I was just curious about what other AP members think about this...

As I recall, things are being added to gasoline now to make enough of the cleaner-burning gas that federal law requires be sold during the summer driving season (which is barely a month away). I have to wonder where the oil from Japan piece came from, though. Since Japan is entirely dependent on foreign oil, I don't how or why we'd be getting any from them.

As someone who uses public transportation for most of my personal travelling, gas prices don't really affect me.

Ah i hate hte gas prices. i live on a farm so the only car i have is a jeep. unfourtuantely i also go to school hours away from my house so that tansit is expensive. i hope it doesnt go up too much over the summer.

I think that although gas prices are affected somewhat by shortages and other factors, the main reason for them skyrocketing is just OPEC driving them up because they want greater profit. I mean we keep finding new oil fields, I just read about one oil company finding super huge oilfield in central asia somewhere and that there is supposedly another one right beside it.

Oh.. just heard that in the news.. seems that the prices in US are now around 31% higher. I really don't know how it works there so, i can't comment that much. What i know is that Bush is now going to stop making that special reservation of oil to try get the old prices back..
well here where i live gas prices are always changing.. as we also use alcohol, their prices are almost the same.. pretty expensive now..

I think the gas prices are outrageous, it is entirely unfair that bush let it get this bad in the first place.

i drive a minivan and i am 17 years old(hehe free car) it costs me about 50 dollars a week to fill up, i drive to school everyday about 30 minutes away... that is more than half my pay check a week on freken gas. I cant pay that much, i need to save for college and i need to buy a new computer and... insurance, so by the time the months out i only saved about a hundred dollars...

i think car companies(such as chevy, dodge, toyota...etc) need to come together and make a fully working cheaply produced hydrogen car, i cant wait until around 2015(i wish it would come sooner), that is when those cars are going to drop into the 20-25k price range and the average family will be able to afford them(after plenty of saving... specially for me, i gots no money me broke), also the government is kinda helping on this by making gas companies start selling not only gasoline, but whatever way that hydrogen is going to be sold for new cars.

Pfah, you Americans are lucky, if my information is correct. The American government is busy trying to keep the prices artificially low to prevent massive riots, while here, on the other side of the ocean (I'm Dutch) the prices are real high. Well, that's what I heard.
For the record, one litre of common gasoline costs about $1,50 here ($5,40 per Gallon).

Without gas,the world will be in chaos.
can you imagine if you had to take a bicycle or walk to go anywhere?
we can't use aeroplane anymore.
we also will have a electricity shortage.
no more internet probably.
computer is no use anymore.
i think no use to live at that time.all will be helpless.

xxsodapopxx5

i think car companies(such as chevy, dodge, toyota...etc) need to come together and make a fully working cheaply produced hydrogen car, i cant wait until around 2015(i wish it would come sooner), that is when those cars are going to drop into the 20-25k price range and the average family will be able to afford them(after plenty of saving... specially for me, i gots no money me broke), also the government is kinda helping on this by making gas companies start selling not only gasoline, but whatever way that hydrogen is going to be sold for new cars.

Hydrongen cells are way too expensive. The most expensive part of them is Platinun. There is some research going on to look for microorganisms that could yield hydrogen, still nothing.

I don't think there are any *real* shortages... I think there's a lot of under the table "pocket stuffing" going on. plus all the B.S. about the "summer" gas mix and the "winter" gas mix... I mean how many years have we been on this summer/winter gas system and they still use the excuse that they "weren't prepared" for the seasonal switch over - what a complete load of you know what! :o[

there are several known oil reserves around but the cost to get to them and start drilling is currently too high to be cost effective but if the price of oil from OPEC keeps going up those costs will eventually become feasable - that's the control for OPEC to watch their prices - if they raise them too high then it becomes cost effective for us to go get those new reserves and cut OPEC out of the picture...

other issue is why so many people feel they *NEED* to drive mongo SUVs? for most there is no real need for a vehicle like that other then as a status symbol... the truely wealthy will continue to drive them but I suspect the vast majority of mongo SUV drivers aren't really wealthy they just want to *look* like they are and as the gas price keeps going up a lot of them will have to give up the status symbol as they won't be able to truely afford it.

personally I drive a tiny car (by american standards) - I always liked the super small cars - aside from being much more efficient they are much more fun to drive! ;o) also easier and quicker to wash and easier to work on/fix...IMHO

I'm from Holland to, just like ~GoldenApe, and the prices are not normal.
The Dutch government is a maniac to charge super high excise (about 60%) on the oil price and then we have to pay 19% taxes over the oil price and the excise (why on earth do we have to pay taxes over the excise, an excise is already some kind of tax).
We use diesel fuel a lot here in Europe and I find that American cars should be sold a lot more with diesel engines, diesel is more fuel efficient then normal engines (the cars a little more expensive, but you earn that back pretty quick by saving money on your lower fuel consumption).
Why do you need a big supercharged V8 engine when you never get the change to get the maximum power on the road and they burn fuel like drinking water.

I don't believe there are shortages, atleast not right no. The price gauging is out of control and the government is powerless. I think this is all because the assumption that people will drive more in the summer.

I'm in Australia and the prices here are outrages....$1.50 for 1 litre!

thats in Australian $$ though, it annoys me because i have to drive heaps - o - minutes to get to school everday

We shouldn't worry about the shortage right now because we still have plenty at this moment. Its just the way the companies want to price how much you pay for the gasoline.
Though our whole well majority of our economy is worked around fossil fuels so it isn't going to be a nice sight in the distant future.

Gas prices have recently soared to the highest I've ever seen in San Francisco. One gallon of gasoline for your car costs over three dollars >_< I really hope they create more efficient ways of transportation. If only the government put more time and money into more environmental and energy efficient projects. I mean, I don't think it would take that much effort and in the long run, we can all save on a great many of things. My physics teacher was thinking that they might actually WANT us to spend a lot of money on gasoline and stuff.