Fuel Pricing AUSTRALIA

I know there are smarter people out there who work all this out, but I'll never understand why we need to guage prices based on OPEC. For example Australia produces at least 75% of it's own oil/fuel and yet we are at the mercy of OPEC?? I guess that's why I'm not an economist

 

This comment of yours,puts the "lie" to the statement that America needs to lessen it's dependency on foreign oil,then...One of the big issues in 2008,during the election campaigns,was that America needs to become energy independent or OPEC will be messing with us forever...Maybe it's that 25% you guys aren't in charge of,that messes with you...AND,,,it probably will take an economist to explain how the rule of supply and demand controls the market,except when it's the gasoline market.And he'd better be really good at it,or he won't be convincing anybody...

 

Gasoline prices are pretty simple. Speculators drive up the price and the oil companies gouge us at the pump.

 

I agree with both of you. the market prices are diddled on whims. The costs to produce are pretty well known though. About $19 per barrel for oil well crude, and $65 for our tarsands crude AND maybe... when prices go nuts again... this city trash recombination may just force OPEC to be more responsible, $80 per barrel and less emissions, and smaller landfills using up good land, polluting the aquifer or shipping to a 3rd world country or other state:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_depolymerization

 

Watched a few videos on Youtube about how it works...The main reason for wanting to drill in ANWR in Alaska is;because it's new oil,they've allready speculated on it,and they're not getting any returns yet...All the vast oil reserves in the Lower 48 have allready been speculated on.And apparently,can't be speculated on further,because they are a known quantity.It's the new oil finds that are "going to bring the price down",so we just have to go out and exploit it all as quickly as possible...Kind of like those speculators did with the credit and real estate markets...It sounds Good ,at first, but then "something happens"...

 

One of the nearby landfill dumps(getting so full,they had to build up the ground around it by 30 feet)is a fuel source of methane gas for a nearby power generation plant.Which sounds wonderfull,,,untill you wonder what else is leaking out of that place...Besides the odors of hot sunny days.Made worse if it was foggy in the morning...There's a system at work in India,and some of the surrounding countries,where towns and villiages have big enclosed cisterns or tanks,to put their garbage in.And,as it rots,the garbage provides them with the methane that runs their power generators.It's not a high output system,but it's working...

 

Not sure about the actual company that Norm lists but I've always said that waste might be at least a partial solution as an energy substitute.

 

The Wiki article has good references to companies, states and cities that are using it now, but also the oil producers lobby (sorry) association stats on costs.

 

Then we also have the government's impact on fuel pricing. Down here we have a fuel excise tax on unleaded at about 39cents per litre and then a GST (Goods & services tax at the end). If a litre is $1.10 the we are paying about 49cents for taxes per litre. Thats roughly AUD$1.85 per US gallon just in taxes?

 

The main reason for the price differences between California and it's nearby neighbour states is;along with the 18.5 cents per gallon federal taxes,there's 18.5 cents in state taxes,as well...And about 10 of the those cents are from taxes added on, via voter approved ballot propositions meant to make people drive less and/or drive just as much but kick in extra money for state road repairs...Another reason for higher prices here is;a voter approved ballot measure from around thirty years ago, that limited the number of refineries the state could have.It actually made it so that some refineries had to be shut down and removed...I presently reside in a neighbourhood,that back in the 70's was no more than a mile from a refinery...A local group of pilots is flying overhead,as I type this.They fly five P-47 Warhawks from WW2...Like true ponycars,musclecars and beefy stationwagons,they have a different sound than the current crop of personal aircraft.That's something else that's missing from the current crop of personal ground vehicles.The sound of automotive engineering in action.Like the new VW coomercial points out,the sound of a Prius going down the road is ,"shshshshshshshsh"---just no fun at all...

 

Do you have the discount shopper docket system over there?.
Our 2 major grocery chains Woolworths (Safeway) & Coles now control many service stations. Woolworths(Safeway) have teamed up with CALTEX, Coles has teamed up with SHELL.
The supermarket brand service stations are generally located outside the supermarket. If you make a purchase of over $30 your docket will entitle you to a 4cent a litre discount on your petrol purchase.

 

Yeah, they do that here too. I never use them because their gas stations are too far away.

 

If their petrol quality is also the same as ours you better off staying away!

 

That is rarely an issue here. Because we are a national transportation hub and a mostly Farm-based economy, our fuels get regulated by the Province to have 10% or 15% ethanol produced from our regional landfill sight (except for Shell's high octane gas), so the Quality control is pretty good. The fuel has to be treated for high humidity and freezing. Sometimes we have to add fuel-line de-icer during really cold weather.

I just can't see driving one gallon's worth to save 90 cents on a tankful.

 

Some of the online job applications I have been filling out recently,lead me to believe there are Sam's Clubs and Targets somewhere,that have gas stations as part of their automotive service centers,but they must be somewhere else than the LA area.As none of the nearby Sam's Clubs and Targets even have automotive centers,much less gas stations...The trend here is to hybridize gas stations with fast food resteraunts...A Shell station with a mini-mart AND a Del Taco,that sort of thing...