Message-ID: <3.0.1.16.19971203174017.51cf811a@pop.intergate.bc.ca> Date: Wed, 3 Dec 1997 17:40:17 -0800 From: Valerie Bruce <mailto:vbruce@INTERGATE.BC.CA> Subject: Re: Personal suffering WILL BE IMPOSED -Reply To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
At 07:06 PM 12/2/97 -0500, you wrote:Dear Jon:
>No gas shortage observed here (Washington, D.C.) or in Northern California,
>during a recent visit. Likewise, no gas shortage was experienced and prices
>were reasonable this last summer all the way from Washington DC to
>Michigan state in Mexico.
We pay about .60 a liter for regular gas - about 4 liters to a gallon - about $2.40 a gallon. Some Canadians who live a few miles from the US-Canada border pop into Washington state to get gas once a week. I've been told (not by an expert) that regular US gas is not as "clean" or whatever as Canadian regular gas (is this true?), so we buy premium gas in the US.
When I lived in Libya in 1990 - 1991 gas was about .16, I was told. Not sure what measurement this was, but in any case, it's cheap.
I was told by an oil company executive that the Libyan gov't was getting 60% of his company's production; he said they were making good money with 40%.
> If their export quota is increased, then there'll be more
>supply available.
The Hibernia oil drigging well in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Newfoundland just started production a couple of months ago. It may not be at full production yet.
> I bought gas for less than $1.25 a
>gallon last week (and this includes more taxes than before). When's the last
>time you bought $1.25 hamburger?
I'll bet we pay considerably more in taxes than you do in the US. (And in Europe they pay substantially more for their gas). So why haven't the oil companies increased gas prices more in the States?
Alternative vehicles are being researched and have just begun to be produced. The electric car in California; the fuel cell being developed by Ballard's (stock is trading around CA$70.00) in Burnaby, B.C. This company has constructed a bus which is now in operation in Chicago, apparently, the first, or one of the first such buses, which is powered entirely by fuel cells. No gas, no propane. More are being produced at $100,000 each.
There are also hybrid vehicles being developed - use both gas and hydrogen, I believe. Toyota, for one, if I remember correctly, is developing such a vehicle. Some gas is used, but much less than the engines of current vehicles. My guess is it'll take another 50 years or so before all the current gas-using vehicles are off the road.
Valerie Bruce