$2.50, 2.85, 2.99, 3.29, 3.45, 3.59, 3.69! Gas out of sight!! Is it because of Katrina? Yes. Is it price gouging? Yes. But, hey, this is capitalism. It’s what the market will bear.

I watched on TV like most people how gas station owners were raising their prices every four to six hours saying they were passing the price increase they absorbed to the consumer. Baloney! How do I know this? I operated a Gulf gas station during the gas shortage of 1978-79.

Have you ever seen the big tankers that deliver gas to the stations? They hold 9,400 gallons of gas. So unless these stations are selling 9,400 gallons per day or in four to six hours, they weren’t being honest about it. Back when I was a gas station owner, the federal government capped our profit at 15 cents per gallon. During the shortage, we made that per gallon. Before and after the shortage, it averaged 4 to 6 cents for regular and 6 to 8 cents for premium. There are no federal restraints on profits now. Don’t like the high price of gas? Neither do I, but, hey, that’s life. I guess the solution is to drive less.

It stands to reason that everything else is going to go up in price as well as a result of these increases. Most all goods and services are moved by truck, train, or plane, which all consume petroleum products. I thought we went to Iraq for oil. The anti-SUV crowd I’m sure is happy.

Back in the ’70s the government forced the auto manufacturers into what is called CAFÉ standards. It stands for corporate average fuel economy. All models are rated individually, and they combine these for the average. Environmentalists decry these standards because they’re easy to manipulate; i.e., SUVs are classified as light trucks so they don’t have to show up on the balance sheet. An automotive sleight of hand? Yes.

Let’s now look elsewhere. There are no such standards of any kind in the aviation industry or the boating industry. There are also no emission standards that I’m aware of in either of those industries either! How come? I heard excuses from the boat people that the season is so short that they’re not needed.

Maybe up here in the Northeast, but boating is year-round down South, the West Coast, and the Bahamas, and all boats are absolute fuel pigs. The same goes for planes. The answer? Don’t know. I guess they have better lobbyists and stick together as an industry so they’ve been left alone, but as always, the auto trade is searching for answers. Right now we have hybrids, gas/electric vehicles. Also coming in the next ten to fifteen years, if things go right, will be hydrogen-powered cars and trucks. Hydrogen is our most abundant resource. The problem is infrastructure, where will you be able to fill up with hydrogen? But this is going to be just as the automobile started out taking over for horses. As cars became more popular, the infrastructure followed. It will follow again, if hydrogen-powered vehicles are indeed the future.

In the meantime, some tips to help you save fuel. Make sure the engine is tuned. Many garages, mine included, own a machine called a motor vac. The engine is run on this machine. It cleans the fuel rail, injectors, cleans the carbon off the backs of the valves and the combustion chambers. It works great. Mileage increases and, more importantly, emissions are greatly lowered. Make sure tires are properly inflated, the alignment is correct, and none of the brakes are dragging. Make sure the air filter is clean. In addition, drive the speed limit and avoid fast starts and stops. Hope this helps.

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