"Prices heat up; As Massachusetts copes with a punishing winter, oil prices are on the rise" by Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff / January 29, 2011
The cost of heating oil in Massachusetts is on the rise, moving past levels of three years ago, when prices were climbing to record highs well above $4 a gallon and panicking consumers....
Several factors are driving heating oil costs, including strong crude oil prices and a cold winter in the Northeast....
And a weak buck.
And those prices are likely to rise more in the coming days, as antigovernment riots in Egypt and unrest in other parts of the Middle East, send crude prices even higher over fears of possible supply disruptions in this major oil producing region.
Yeah, right, blame the oppressed masses yearning for freedom for an oil crisis (sigh).
“The concern that it could spread to other countries [in the Middle East] could have an impact,’’ Phil Flynn, an energy analyst with PFGBest in Chicago, said. “It’s really becoming a powder keg.’’
Just waiting for an Israeli false flag to light the match?
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New England’s recent cold winter weather hasn’t helped, said Chris Lafakis, an economist with Moody’s Analytics, a forecasting firm in West Chester, Pa.
“Demand for heating oil has been pretty strong,’’ he said, “and that has allowed refineries to charge more for a gallon of heating oil than they otherwise would have.’’
The oil companies are really freezing you out of your wallets.
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“I have people calling me and they start crying on the phone,’’ said Chris Simonelli, whose company C. Simonelli & Sons Inc., provides oil to about 1,000 customers in Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, and several South Shore communities. “I can’t stand having an older person tell me they’re going to have to choose between oil and their meals, [but] this is what every oil dealer is up against.’’
Yeah, what a drag that must be.
Maybe the guys who got that oil to you could help out, huh?
You know, the BILLIONS in PROFITS per QUARTER oil companies.
Heating assistance advocates have been pushing for government aid to help low-income families pay their heating bills. The poorest families in Massachusetts can qualify for a maximum of $1,050 in federal aid for the winter, but advocates say more is needed.
Yes, the government is so generous with your tax dollars, dear U.S. citizen.
Too bad you were not a war profiteer, Wall Street bank, or Israel.
Last winter, more than 200,000 households qualified for heating assistance through the federal government’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.
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Related:
"Oil prices slide on hint of supply rise" by Associated Press / January 25, 2011
NEW YORK — The price of oil fell yesterday after the Saudi oil minister hinted that his country, the world’s biggest oil producer, may raise supplies to put the brakes on higher oil prices.
Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi said he expected world oil demand will increase this year....
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"Exxon expects fall in gasoline demand" by Associated Press, January 28, 2011
NEW YORK — There will be 400 million more cars on the world’s roads 20 years from now, yet gasoline consumption will decline, according to a projection from Exxon Mobil Corp. in its long-term energy outlook released yesterday.
That is one of those billions in profits companies I was talking about.
The world’s biggest investor-owned oil and gas company expects energy use overall will grow 35 percent by 2030, But that growth would be three times higher if people used as much energy per capita as they do now.
Nowhere is that more apparent than in projections of gasoline demand. People in developing countries, especially China, will drive millions of more cars and gas demand will grow, but the cars will be more efficient than those of the past.
Meanwhile, improvements in fuel efficiency in the United States and Europe will create a drop in demand that more than matches Asia’s growth. Demand for passenger vehicles will decline by 20 percent in the United States and by one-third in Europe by 2030.
Exxon’s long-term energy analysis, updated and released to the public every year, paints a picture of what Bill Colton, a vice president, called a “tale of two worlds.’’
In developed countries like the United States, Japan, and the nations of Europe, demand for energy will stay flat even as economic activity increases by 60 percent. In developing countries like China, India, and Brazil, demand for energy will rise more than 70 percent as more and more people gain access to electricity and transportation.
That's why you gotta pick up the bike, American.
Exxon’s annual analysis differs from similar projections done by the Energy Information Administration in that it incorporates expected policy changes in its forecasts.
“The degree of analysis that goes into their projections is as rigorous as you get from any other institution,’’ says Lawrence Eagles, an analyst at JPMorgan, of the Exxon report. “It provides a good framework to look into the future.’’
U.S. living standards going down according to the fraud-foreclosing banksters.
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And how came that price at the pump keeps rising a couple of cents every day?
