Gashostage.com

WASHINGTON, May 13 — When an F-16 lights up its afterburners, it consumes nearly 28 gallons of fuel per minute. No wonder, then, that of all the fuel the United States government uses each year, the Air Force accounts for more than half. The Air Force may not be in any danger of suffering inconveniences from scarce or expensive fuel, but it has begun looking for a way to power its jets on something besides conventional fuel.

In a series of tests — first on engines mounted on blocks and then with B-52′s in flight — the Air Force will try to prove that the American military can fly its aircraft by blending traditional crude-oil-based jet fuel with a synthetic liquid made first from natural gas and, eventually, from coal, which is plentiful and cheaper.

While the military has been a leader in adopting some technologies — light but strong metals, radar-evading stealth designs and fire-retardant flight suits, for example — any effort to hit a miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency rating has taken a back seat when the mission is to haul bombs farther and faster or push 70-ton tanks across a desert to topple an adversary. (The Abrams tank, for example, gets less than a mile per gallon under certain combat conditions.)

“Energy is a national security issue,” said Michael A. Aimone, the Air Force assistant deputy chief of staff for logistics.

The United States is unlikely ever to become fully independent of foreign oil, Mr. Aimone said, but the intent of the Air Force project is “to develop enough independence to have assured domestic supplies for aviation purposes.”

By late this summer, on the hard lake beds of the Mojave Desert, where the Air Force tests its most secret and high-performance aircraft, a lumbering B-52 is scheduled to take off in an experiment in which two of the giant bomber’s engines will burn jet fuel produced not from crude oil but from natural gas. The plane’s six other engines will burn traditional jet fuel — just in case.

The Air Force consumed 3.2 billion gallons of aviation fuel in fiscal year 2005, which was 52.5 percent of all fossil fuel used by the government, Pentagon statistics show. The total Air Force bill for jet fuel last year topped $4.7 billion.

Although the share of national energy consumption by the federal government and the military is just 1.7 percent, every increase of $10 per barrel of oil drives up Air Force fuel costs by $600 million per year.

Read more about this here

In some ways this is very exciting to here.  Who better then the American Military to spend billions of dollars on finding alternative fuel sources?  The military will probably be given more money then any other group in the US to find an energy solution.  I guess my only concern would be, will they share what they find with the rest of the world?  If they can find an energy / fuel source that can deliver similar performance to that of gasoline it would be a great thing for everyone if it was shared.  It is really hard to believe the enormous amount of fuel the US military actually uses.  I can see why they would be actively looking for solutions to the problem.  I am not certain just changing the mix of fuel will be the solution.  I would think a modification to the engines might be required too.  I am excited by the possibilities here.  Lets just hope they share their findings.

Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez arrives in London today with an extraordinary promise to offer cut-rate heating oil for needy families in Europe, modelled on a similar campaign in the US which has been seen partly as a bid to embarrass President George Bush.
Last night Chavez also issued a taunting obituary for the ‘American empire’ on the eve of a visit where he will be shunned by Downing Street but welcomed by London Mayor Ken Livingststone.

Chavez said in Vienna yesterday that the ‘final hours of the North American empire have arrived … Now we have to say to the empire: “We’re not afraid of you. You’re a paper tiger.”‘

Referring to his supply of heating to poor American families last winter, Chavez told a meeting of political supporters: ‘I’d like to do the same here in Europe.’

He was addressing an ‘alternative summit’ held alongside a three-day meeting of leaders from the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean in the Austrian capital. ‘I want to humbly offer support to the poorest people who do not have resources for central heating in winter and make sure that support arrives,’ he said.

Though he said that Venezuela has two refineries in Germany and one in Britain, he did not provide further details about how the supply scheme would work. But he said Venezuelan ambassadors in Europe were looking into the matter. ‘You Europeans can help us greatly. Your European social networks can make sure the support arrives where it should,’ Chavez told the conference.

For more on this article click here.

One has to wonder about the motivation here.  President Hugo Chavez appears to be trying to curry favor with Europe, or maybe he is just making a stand against the United States for political reasons. If his intentions are to help people in need, then why not look to other countries that face problems with oil for heating.  There are people in the US, Canada, South America alone that could use cheap oil for heating, why did Chavez select Europe?  I must admit the cynical side of me suspects he is using this as a bargaining chip.  We will have to keep an eye on this one.

LAGOS, Nigeria Between 150 and 200 people were killed on Friday when a gasoline pipeline exploded in Nigeria.  Officials have said that the blast incinerated people as they were trying to drain fuel into cans.

“You can see the corpses. Some are burned to ash. Others are remnants … We estimate 150 to 200 people died,” the police commissioner told Reuters news agency.

“It seems these people were literally incinerated, almost instantly,” CNN’s Jeff Koinange reported from Lagos. (Watch how dozens died in a furnace of fire — 2:20)

Rescue workers dug a ditch near the exploded pipeline, the commissioner told The Associated Press, saying the bodies would be “given a mass burial.”

A Reuters reporter said sand had been cleared from around the buried pipeline and that it bore marks of drilling. The pipeline carries petroleum from a jetty offshore to a distribution point inland, he reported.

“People insist on breaking into these installations in order to steal petrol in the pipes and it’s difficult to man every pipeline in the country,” Nigerian government spokesman Femi Fani-Kayode said.

“We don’t have the people or resources, and I don’t think anyone in the world does.”

The fire from the blast has been extinguished, and Nigerian police officers have secured the scene. Nigerian officials say the pipe exploded on Snake Island.

“A number of villages were involved and came to assist and help our security agents,” Fani-Kayode said.

Despite the country being rich in oil, Nigeria’s population remains impoverished and people often tap into pipelines crossing their lands, seeking fuel for cooking or resale on the black market.

Read more on this incident on CNN .com

The world leaders who control oil are demonstrating how evil they can be.  Lets face it, the cost of gas and oil is what is forcing people to steal.  The act of stealing is what caused the deaths of these unfortunate people, but the reality is that greedy oil companies not sharing the wealth with the populous, is actually what killed them.  Gas companies take the valuable resources from the 2nd and 3rd world countries and pay a small fraction of what it is worth to government or private officials.  The less fortunate people in these countries never see any of the money!  The poor people who live in the region are the ones to pay the price.

Expect more problems like this to happen as desperate people are forced into desperate situations.

What is worse, the oil companies are going to use this tragedy to line their pockets by increasing gas and oil prices.  This price gauging is despicable.  I warned everyone in yesterdays post that the oil companies would find a way to turn a positive move towards lowering gas prices into a price increase instead…. And they did.  I am not suggesting that they manufactured this tragedy, but I am suggesting that they used this horrible accident to their benefit which is almost as bad.

The world’s most fuel-efficient vehicle has been unveiled by its British inventor.

Andy Green, 45, from the University of Bath, believes his three-wheel TeamGreen car is capable of doing 8,000 miles to the gallon.

His budget eco-motor cost just £2,000 to build and will be the sole British contender for the title of the world’s most fuel-economic car in a global competition being later this month.

The car, which weighs less than 5 stone – the average weight of a nine-year-old boy – made its debut at the Somerset university campus.

It will compete against 250 teams from around the world for the Shell Eco-Marathon championships in France from May 19.

It has taken Mr Green more than two years to design and build the car, over weekends, holidays and evenings.

Read more on this story

Okay, so the car might be a little impractical to drive but 8000 miles to the gallon is still very impressive.  I wouldn’t want to be on the highway with this baby as no one would see you while changing lanes but it just shows how fuel economical vehicles of tomorrow are going to become.  If they can get 8000 miles to the gallon on this vehicle, you would think it would be possible to get at least 1000 miles to the gallon on a more conventional vehicle.

I say keep up the good work scientist; we are finally learning how to get around the oil companies.

Canada is self sufficient in oil production, to the extent that they could qualify as a member of OPEC, for which a country has to be a net producer of oil. Canada, however, imports Middle East oil, which disqualifies them.

Why is this so? The answer is that they export more than their surplus to the greatest guzzlers of all, the United States, and at a fire-sale price (natural gas goes the same way).

The price they pay for their own oil in Canada is determined by the price of Texas Crude on the New York Stock Exchange each morning.

In other words, the government of Canada exercises no control over their own oil. They buy at “world prices” while the country to which they export charges less for gasoline at the pumps. If any Canadian government had the sense and the guts, they could determine the price of their own oil, significantly lower the price to Canadians, and sell at “world prices” if they chose to sell at all.

The foregoing got it’s start when it cost Canadians less to import from the Middle East then they were charging the U.S., so they were making a profit.

This has not been the case for decades now and, along with the fact that someone else determines what the prices are, they are importing oil at a higher price then they are selling it.

Add to all this the obvious price fixing – when did you last see gas stations actually competing for your business – and Canadians, with the second largest oil reserves in the world are being gouged.

Parliamentary committees have infrequently discussed price fixing, and never discuss the fact that the U.S. tells Canada what to charge for their own oil.

Oil companies, like the equally avaricious banks, are allowed to make ever-increasing mega profits, with the acquiescence of the government.

Try to have someone explain all this to your satisfaction and you will be bombarded with lies and convoluted reasoning.

Venezuela has the right attitude; it’s citizens come first, and outside customers pay a price which allows that country to make a beneficial profit.

Wake up Canada!

Iran Says It’s Ready to Negotiate.  Iran’s president said Thursday he was ready to negotiate with the United States and its allies over his country’s nuclear program but he also suggested that any threats against Tehran would make the dialogue more difficult.

Read More On This Story

Mark my words.  Bad news = Oil prices go up and Good news = Oil prices go up.  I am sure we will discover a faulty reading at one oil pumping station somewhere, or maybe an over estimated stock level.  I am not sure what the excuse will be, but gas and oil prices are going to increase instead of decrease.  Don’t worry the Oil companies have it all figured out ahead of time.  They have various scenarios they can use already planned out… and they will use them too.

Crude oil futures for June delivery climbed past $73 per barrel in electronic trading Thursday amid operational problems at two U.S. Gulf Coast refineries.

Two Valero refineries in Texas and Louisiana had problems with their coking facilities over the last week, according to trade sources. That reignited concerns over gasoline supplies ahead of the peak summer driving season in the U.S. which is the world’s biggest consumer.

 Are we missing something?  Didn’t the price drop recently after that letter from Iran’s president to George W Bush?  How the market always finds a way to spin good news into new price increases never ceases to amaze me.  What do you think?  Am I out of line here saying something is wrong?

 

Oil jumped 2 percent on Wednesday as refinery problems in the United States added to gasoline supply concerns ahead of the summer driving season.U.S. light crude prices last traded up $1.46 at $72.15 a barrel and gasoline futures gained more than 12 cents to trade at $2.17 a gallon. Brent crude in London rose $1.32 to $72.40 a barrel.

Problems at Valero’s Texas City, Texas, refinery and ConocoPhillips’ Bayway plant in New Jersey pushed oil prices into positive ground after prices fell when weekly U.S. inventory data showed a build in gasoline inventories last week.

 

Gasoline stocks in the United States, the world’s biggest gas guzzler, are a major concern for oil markets ahead of the summer driving season when demand peaks.

U.S. gasoline inventories rose 2.4 million barrels, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said, double the increase analysts expected, while demand for the fuel in the past four weeks fell 0.1 percent from a year ago.

Article from Reuters.com 

 Well I can only say I told you so.  Yesterday, with the report of the price per oil barrel dropping, they find a way to stir the pot and raise the price.  Lets face it.  Oil prices will not go down unless the public take a stand.

Americans have a bleaker view of the country’s direction than at any time in more than two decades, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll. Sharp disapproval of President Bush’s handling of gasoline prices has combined with intensified unhappiness about Iraq to create a grim political environment for the White House and Congressional Republicans.

Mr. Bush’s approval ratings for his management of foreign policy, Iraq and the economy have fallen to the lowest levels of his presidency. He drew poor marks on the issues that have been at the top of the national agenda in recent months, in particular immigration and gasoline prices. Just 13 percent approved of Mr. Bush’s handling of rising gasoline prices. About a quarter said they approved of his handling of immigration, as Congressional Republicans try to come up with a compromise for handling the influx of illegal immigrants into the country. The poll showed a further decline in support for the Iraq war, the issue that has most eaten into Mr. Bush’s public support. The percentage of respondents who said going to war in Iraq was the correct decision slipped to a new low of 39 percent, down from 47 percent in January. Two-thirds said they had little or no confidence that Mr. Bush could successfully end the war. The poll comes six months before Election Day and well before Labor Day, when Congressional campaigns will be fully engaged. Mr. Bush has shaken up his staff in an effort to improve his political fortunes, and White House aides said they were confident that events in Iraq were improving and that the political effects of high gasoline prices could fade by the election.

Read More: Article by The NY Times

Is there any surprise that George Bush’s approval rating is at an all time low?  I ask this question.  Why is it that the American Presidency only started looking at this issue a few months ago?  If George and his government were actively looking to help the American people, don’t you think they would have done so sooner? I think the facts show that George Bush doesn’t care to help the American people as to do so would hurt him financially. 

“Republicans in Congress are demanding that President Bush investigate whether oil companies are now gouging consumers on these gas prices. That’s a good idea, Republicans asking Republicans to investigate other Republicans. And you know who they’re going to blame? The Democrats.” –Jay Leno