Though CA's tax level doesn't help any, high pump prices in Ca (at least higher than in most other states) are, for the most part, not because of taxes. They are because CARB (the California Air Resources Board) requires gasoline sold in the state to pollute even less than Federal and EPA mandates. So, special refining techniques are required to meet these CA demands.....and those refining techinques are not cost-effective for the oil companies because they refine and sell this special gas only in CA and a couple of states in the Northeast. So there is a limited market for it, and the somewhat higher pump prices in CA and the Northeast reflect, to an extent, these market conditions.

So.....if you are looking for a scapegoat, the first place to b***h is with CARB.
But a word of caution: CARB doesn't require this special gas blend for nothing....there is a reason for it. Coastal CA, particularly the Los Angeles basin, has unique inversion conditions that often trap low-level pollutants near the surface. With L.A.'s millions of cars ( it is the center of the nation's car culture, don't forget), without such clean exhaust coming out of all those vehicles, the air would be literally unbreatheable....it is already some of the dirtiest air in the country even WITH those CA standards.

 

Here we go again. People with luxury cars whining about a few dollars extra for a tank of gas.

 

should have bought some gas stocks last month...

 

No. Higher pump prices don't necessarily mean higher profits. It depends on a number of factors.

 

You are correct. In 2005 ExxonMobil made $371 billion in total revenue and net income of $36 billion. ExxonMobil stands to make another record profit year in 2006 but I wouldn't totally blame ExxonMobil. They are number one and the largest in their industry just like GM is to the auto industry. As quoted by the chairman and CEO (Dr. Raymond Lee) of ExxonMobil they are not in the business to make friends, they are in the business to make money. As mmarshall states there are many factors why gas prices go up. One factor is the price of crude oil from which these oil comanies buy from oil producing countries. I would question the efficiencies and practices of these countries.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q/is?s=XOM&annual

 

As much as I don't like higher prices - I'm not too upset - I knew this was coming - its just envitable - In a kind of way - I'm looking forward to higher prices - I just hate those giant SUVs thats all always in your way and hope the gas prices will die them out.

 

The worst thing about rising gas prices is having to read about it on the internet, in the newspaper, and hearing about it from every other person you know almost eternally until the prices go back down.

 

Well SUVs and newer 'CUVs' aren't going away any time soon. I seem to see more new types of those coming out than sedans!

With more older drivers who like sitting up a bit higher, many who are bringing a 'walker' or wheelchair for grandma, and many families who don't like jamming all their stuff into a sedan, SUVs and CUVs are here to stay. The U.S. has gone from huge cars, to minivans, now to SUVs and CUVs are their 'haulers'.

In Europe they do hatchbacks and station wagons (estates, 'shooting brake' - whatever the hell that is, etc. ).

 

ExxonMobil profit margins are under 10%, nobody is scamming anyone.

 

$3 gas kills me.

I saw in Road and Track Honda will release a hydrogen sedan in 2-3 years.

To solve the infrastructure problem Honda came up with a home "Mr. Hydrogen" that you hook up to your natual gas line.

Expect to see it soon, not in 20 years.

 

Well that might run cleaner but why do you or anyone believe it will be cheaper to run than gasoline?

 

It most likely will will not be cheaper, but I think a lot of people would still go for it simply because the middle east would no longer have them by the ***** - prices will remain stable because, well, it doesn't that much to extract hydrogen - no country or "industrial group" (like OPEC) can form a monopoly on hydrogen extraction.

And over time it'll likely drop in price, too, as competition heats up and extraction methods become more efficient and powered by more efficient power plants.

 

The car you are talking about is the Honda FCX, a small hydrogen fuel-cell car, shaped like the old Ford Festiva, that has been in testing and trial use with some governments and municipalities. I did a thread on it some time ago from car magazine and Internet sources, , though, obviously, I have not personally seen it or reviewed it.
Honda's latest plans for it ( that I know of ) are sales to the general public in 3-5 years, but if Road and Track heard 2-3 years, they are probably a better source than I am...they have regular access to Honda's top people.

Recently, a new, bullet-shaped FCX was unveiled as a concept ( there was a CL thread on it ), but that is not the car that has been in testing.

 

I paid $3.02 in Sacramento for premium unleaded today. It was $3.05 in Union City in the Bay Area. Glad I have my Shell Mastercard with the 5% rebate. It takes some of the sting out of it.

 

Did someone tell you they get hydrogen from water? When we figure out perpetual motion, we'll get hydrogen from water economically. Until then, economical hydrogen comes from fossil fuels (natural gas) which also happen to be domestically in relatively short supply. And please, don't tell me we can use swamp gas to provide primary transportation in this country. It's not economically feasible, and would require a HUGE investment of petroleum energy just to get off the ground.

We are such a long way from hydrogen as a primary fuel source it isn't even funny.