Gas Prices Soar Due To Tensions With Iran, Refinery Closures

February 20, 2012 6:11 AM

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Soaring gas prices are giving drivers a new round of pain at the pump.

Fuel prices have risen 25 of the past 26 days in Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to AAA.

At an average of $4.06 a gallon, prices are at their highest point since last summer.

CBS2’s Kara Finnstrom reports that a gallon of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline is $4.93 a gallon at a Shell station in the Miracle Mile district.

It’s not unusual to have price jumps in February, but AAA and the Oil Price Information Service say gas prices were already at record highs.

Motorists across the Southland say they are not only checking prices, but they are also doing their best to conserve gas.

Analysts say prices are on the rise due to escalating tensions with Iran over its nuclear program, as well as the closings of several California refineries for maintenance.

Gas Prices Soar Due To Tensions With Iran, Refinery Closures

Hal 9000

Then, why aren’t we producing our own energy here in the US?

We need a new President as Oblunder rejected the Keystone Pipeline cause he knew that would be GOOD for America.

Time to replace Oblama in 2012 & send this has been back to Kenya.

Bob Sloggin

Because we have idiots in power.

dan hutton

When Bush and Chaney were in office, we were told that gas prices were high because “big oil men” were in office. Why now?
JOSH.0

FAR FROM IDIOTS this is exactly what they want and have planned on.. YOU KNOW? THE PEOPLE WHO ACTUALLY OWN THIS COUNTRY
mmercir

The tankers are hovering about in internatiol waters, waiting for Cheney to get off the Halliburton hurricane machine…

They need instruction from the Bush cabal.
TyrannicalGovernment

Because of unelected officials who put themselves in power after the coup and cover up. We have no president and no legal rights anymore.

http://PalinsDirtyLittleSecret.blogspot.com
St

Gas Prices are just going to be another hit to the economy.

http://www.dailyjobcuts.com
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mdking

because odumbo wants gas high so people will buy government motors electric death traps…..
VoltOwner

Actually, the Chevy Volt is looking pretty good right about now…
I have not had to put ANY gas in mine since June, as in last year. By plugging in each night and charging while the sun don’t shine, I can drive up to 40 miles each day for about a dollar. My nighttime rates are about $0.13 per KWh, daytime is much higher. Still, I only drive 20-25 miles per day. On those rare days when I need to drive further than the battery can take me, I get around 40MPG, but I have only used about 2 gallons of the gas the dealer put in so far. I expect to have to use that tank up by June, as the car is programmed to use it up in order to keep the gas fresh.

Not looking forward to standing in the heat to fill my car, but once a year is not all that bad.

That’s Top Safety Rated death trap to you… FUD by the oil companies, who see it as a threat to their bottom line. (The sure have bought a LOT of trolls to spread their message of hate for domestically produced electricity. They would much rather you keep spending on their terror juice.

Fred

I found out recently the new pipeline oil is for export overseas only. They passed a
bill in Washington on this. So, the U.S. won’t get any of the oil

murrayw

Quote which Bill. You’re a nut.
Gryphonwhip

THERE IS NO PIPELINE BECAUSE OF OBAMA YOU IDIOT!
MBC

Fred, with all due respect, you have incorrect information about the failure of the U.S. to get the oil pipeline from our close northern neighbor. The Congress was not involved. There was no bill for Obama to veto. The president simply forbade the regulatory agency under his control to build the pipeline.

Remember, Fred, in Obama’s early campaign he stated that he wanted the gas prices to go to $7 a gallon. His hope is to destroy the middle class and he’s doing a fine job! He’s cut off out friendly neighbor northern supply and has supported the overthrow of governments in the middle east in order to put the Islamics in power. Carter helped with this too, but probably not with the anti-American purpose of our present president.
Guy

Fred: Not true. This was to have been a domestic pipeline that served the midwest, Texas and California
mmercir

Refined petrolium is a commodity. Global output determines price based on availibility and demand.

The Canadian and American sand fields are going to send their product to the best logistical destination for the best price the market will accept.

Unfortunately, for the next few years… it will not be in the US.

just remember, this all George Bushes fault.
ILikeRush

Dumb Sheet
Xenophon10

How are things in the 5th Dimension? Glad you could visit Earth.

BlogMagog

Absolutely shocking he delayed the pipeline !!!! shocking what he is doing

bob

i hope i have some change left after filling up my gas tank to get to work this week.

J in Pasadena

It’s not as nutty as you think. ALL the oil produced in Alaska goes to China! Yes, China! It’s not about helping America, it’s about the almighty dollar.

http://money.cnn.com/2011/12/05/news/economy/gasoline_export/index.htm?hpt=hp_t2

jim

where do you guys come up with this stuff?

http://allroadsleadtofema.wordpress.com allroadsleadtofema

We actually do. Strangely enough we just sell it to others. Makes no sense. Won’t matter anyway once everything collapses. Get ready.

https://allroadsleadtofema.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/entry-1/

Mike

Sorry dude, you’re a loon

RonnieReagan

The Chevy Volts are coming. Mine gets over 100mpg, and for the most part burns AMERICAN MADE ELECTRICTY. Soon after, mainstream cars that use no oil for getting to B from A. The electrification of the American automobile is inevitable. It’s just a matter of WHEN you accept it as fact.

Rick in Cali

Maybe so, if you can keep them from burning.
PaulR

Government subsidized design and manufacture. Government subsidized purchase. Take away all of the tax dollars invested in the Volt and see how many get purchased. The rtrue hybrids are the way to go. If the Volt and other electrics are so great then why is GM going in another direction (E-Assist) with the balance of its fleet while the Volt flounders?
jlou

Uh, no that is not true. The pipeline oil will be sold here in the US. As to what Barry wants, they want people NOT to be able to travel so they can continue to push their costly socialist agenda.

As to the Chevy Volts, they are done after five years and you cannot re-sell them. Right now they are catching on fire. And, where do you think that electricity comes from?

SteveMT

“Why aren’t we producing our own energy here in the US?”

We are, but we are exporting even more of these finished refined fuels. Consumption of these fuels has decreased because of this depression, so they are being sold overseas. America’s three biggest exports are:
1. Gasoline
2. Jet Fuel
3. Diesel Fuel
The Keystone Pipeline will only provide a means for Canada to export their oil, and it will not lower fuel prices in the States; these prices would actually further increase if this pipeline is ever built.

dan

get your facts together
Largest exports are plans – machine tools – chemicals – industrial electronics – agriculture

majority of gas produced in this country is consumed in this country

pipeline was not for export but to the refineries on the gulf coast…some of the refined products will be exported but majority of the refined gas would be consumed here

James

obumbla does not want us to produce oil as do most democrats
redob

He’s from the US ya idjut.
I’m republican, but hell comments like that are just plain stupid.
mike

I can’t even get a job.That’s because that aS$hole lawyer Robert Hale from Hale and Nguyen in Brea couldn’t help me with my case. Now I’m a bitter aS$puck that has a beef with law enforcement and everybody on the internet. I used multiple screen names like [GROW..APAIR], [wg//af], [up//yours], [Mike in San Diego], [Mike in Upland], [1stman] and [kma] so no one can track me down. I challenge people to meet me in front of the Fullerton P.D. station for my protection. I’m such a puS$y dumbf**k with nothing to say I post to myself.

I’ll use your screen name next, puS$y
s.u.

The EPA doesn’t want oil drilled here because it contributes to pollution. Therefore Obama is going along with them, because he and the liberal democrats get votes from these crooks. Before Bush left office gasoline was a $1.80 a gallon. Still to high, but now look it’s over $3.00 a gallon and climbing. Wait until 2013 when 6 midwest coal companies shut down due to EPA new regulations. They said the shutdown would last probably at least 3 months thanks to Obama and the EPA.
Jay Capistrano

Cheney and Bush cant be troubled with rigging international oil prices-they are too busy placing explosives for the next “inside job” – “we dont know the whole truth” 9/11 – those two have to place a lot of explosives, especially w/o anyone knowing, so dont bother them with another conspiracy they are behind, they have enough work trying do this one.
JD

Why should there be any surprise? It’s one of Obama’s campaign promises. He told the San Francisco Chronicle, under his administration gas prices would quote ‘necessarily skyrocket’. What kind of moron has a plan to raise gas prices at the pumps? One who’s out to destroy the country. He was raised to be a radical in his childhood days in Indonesia and during his college years and we’re seeing the results.
Bebe

Nice try. The Keystone pipeline takes oil sands from Canada THROUGH the U.S. and onto the world market. It has nothing to do with the domestic oil supply.

Demand for oil in the U.S. is at its lowest level in five years. The ONLY reason gas prices are high is speculation on Wall St. but evidently CBS is too afraid of the financial services industry to point that out.

That’s the truth. But if you’d rather live in the bubble, you’re only hurting yourself and your loved ones. Enjoy.

Bebe

Also the U.S. only controls 2% of the world’s oil supply, so all you cowboys talking about being energy independent in connection with fossil fuels have no answers.

Red

Btw, that station in miracle mile is a dollar more than the surrounding stations in the are. No one uses it for gas, just for photo ops and disingenuous reporting.

Dan L

Yeah they just have pumps to get photo-ops. I see people pumping gas there all the time.
JustAGuy

I never heard of someone operating a business just for photo ops.

Mike

There is a Valero station near me that is consistently 10 to 20 cents higher than the station across the street from him. Why? He’s tired of dealing with the gas and actually doesn’t want gas customers; they interfere with his liquor store business.

Dan L

Thanks Odummy for stopping oil drilling off the coast and cancelling the Keystone Pipeline. Thanks Odummy for building an electric car that goes 50 miles on a charge, sets your house on fire, and gets charged up with coal generated electricity. REALLY, REALLY a smart guy.
Eli

Well…

The US having more expensive gas then Canada. Never thought I’d see that.

Don

The US being more socialist than Canada. Never thought I’d see that either.
Jean Poole

‘The US having more expensive gas then Canada.

Try this – The US having more expensive gas THAN Canada.

randy

Lot of time on your hands, Jean?
MBC

Don’t be too hard on him, Jean. I find that a lot of people don’t know the difference between “then” and “than”; or “to” and “too”. The English language isn’t easy to learn with so many pronunciations the same, but spelling and meaning different. In a book I wrote, the copy editor, no less, changed every single “than” to “then”.

But this is off the subject. We are in big trouble with the “Islamist Firster” in control.
Eli

Well this being “Canada” then is also acceptable in our version of english. Don’t worry your head over it. I know, hard thing to realize. Much like the spelling centre is also correct, and color. Did I just break your brain?

JulianusRex

CA voted for him and intends to do so again. You deserve what you get.

Roger Grey

Like California is wholly responsible. Stop knocking California–plenty of other states voted for him, too: Illinois, New York, and Massachusetts. So don’t blame just us. And, don’t forget there were millions here who voted the other way! Did Californians elect Ronald Reagan as our governor or was that done by the people of Arizona?

obozosux

You are correct, plenty of states DID vote for him. But I there is a delicious irony in the fact that L.A., the epicenter of radical liberalism, Is paying most dearly for their blind loyalty. Makes me smile.
Rick in Cali

They also put Brown back in office. Example, the multi-billion dollar bullet train? He said why doesn’t Cali have it if China does? Kind of shows you where his beliefs are.

maroonvee

And who gave us Brown and the Dem legislature… idjits.

JAMES FISKE

FURTHER IT HAS BEEN REPORTED ON THE EAST COAST THE TWO COMPANIES ARE SERIOUSLLY CONSIDERING CLOSING THEIR REFINERIES IN THE PHILADELPHIA WILL IF DONE WOULD DRIVE WAY UP HEATING OIL AND VEHICLE ENGERY SKII HIGH.!! YET, CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT TAKES OFF ANOTHER WEEK WORK ON OUR PROBLEMS IFOR FUND RAISING RE ELECTIONS . YOU G O T WONDER IF THEY ARE NOT ALL BRAIN DEAD…OH NO!!!! THERI JUST POWER HUNGRY FOR SCAMS AND MORE POWER!!

Jean Poole

Shouting does not mean that you spell any better.

Cogito

We can thank the party of no…to expanding on-shore drilling, to expanding off-shore drilling, to the keystone pipeline, and to anyother attempt to increase supply, and decrease demand on Arab oil. According to the Left, Bush went to Iraq for oil, but now the Democrats own it all and they do not want to give it up.
John Barnett

These are people that deserve high prices, elect slugs like Obama and Brown, enjoy.

exbobbie

Not all of us did John. Unfortunately we in the south and south east parts of California are largely conservative, BUT, we are outnumbered by the liberals and moderates from the north, LA and up. There is a movement to split California into those two regions north and southeast, don’t know if it will happen, but I’ll vote for it.

Dave W

Prices are going up because the Fed is printing money. The dollar is worth half what it was $5 years ago. The only politician talking about this is Ron Paul.

MBC

Bravo Dave W! You are so right.

Ron Paul is a true American and a great patriot. He is well educated, intuitive, smart and focused. I am very wary of the Mormon Brotherhood and have had experience with their exclusion of non-Mormons professionally and socially.
However, we need to remove Obama from power; he is destroying us. So we will all need to support the one who faces him at the end of this year.

Kelvin

Hope and change baby, hope and change.
We are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
Maybe if the prices were in Austrian, you would understand that energy prices could necessarily skyrocket, and you could drive the intercontinental highway across all 57 states.
R E

James please we can hear you okay? Geez…….
Brian

I say it is time for a civil war this is extrotion and this will cause another recission pay checks are getting smaller hyper inflation leads to war
Brian

when gas to 5 dollars and beyond I stop driving

bob

nice if you don’t have to drive to work
Greg

Which is after all exactly what our central planners want. Stop driving and AGW doomsayers are happy, rail proponents are happy , city planners are happy and politicians who enjoy telling others how to live their lives are happy. All we loose is freedom. And of course money which is not ours but its use by us is allowed by our benevolent government.
Lynn

My mother said that when cigarettes reached $2.00 a pack, she would quite smoking. Guess what. Cigarettes are now approximately $4.50 a pack and she still smokes. Be careful what you promise to do.

Lynn

I know, I misspelled quit. So no comments please from the people that find it necessary to comment on everybody’s typo’s

Midge Martin

“No one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.” ~ H. L. Mencken

http://911essentials.com
Fred

L.A. gas is way to expensive. In Norther Colorado they are paying $3.01 on 2/19/2012 for regular gas.

bud

California can’t have it both ways. Cheaper gas and environmental politicians don’t mix. Pick one or the other. Clean technology does exist, but accidents happen. Or you can buy it from overseas and pay through the nose.
maroonvee

Well of course, in CA we have a high gas tax, on top of the federal gas tax.. didn’t you know?

jaline

Not to mention all the special blends of gasoline that cost more.

Brian

and when morons spend 6 dollars they should be shoot
Steve

Just like Pelosi said, it’s the oilmen in the whitehouse!!!
BlogMagog

OH yeah LA, YOU GOT WHAT YOU VOTED FOR !!!! Enjoy that $5 gas you fools and go vote Obama again.
Jean Poole

They are higher in Nth. San Diego county. $4.05 for regular. in Valley Center. Thanks Obama
beegee1970

I’ve stated this numerous times… You want to fix the middle east tension, gas prices, world peace. The US should announce starting immediately that we will be selling a bushel of corn, grain, soybeans, etc… as the same price of a barrel of oil. If they don’t want to sell their natural resources at a reasonable price then we shouldn’t give away ours.
Trajan Long

Between the Fed and Obama’s idiot policies the dollar is losing value. Our energy policy is also the worst in US history. Stagflation is here, just like Carter only worse.
murrayw

California with all of thier stupid regulations and laws has forced the price of fuel to increase. Mileage of cars and trucks is lower to meet things like tier 4 emissions where we burn extra diesel just to burn exhaust. If people in LA and the rest of California want to keep electing these eco zealots and people control freaks they deserve to pay ever increasing gas prices.

jkl

As a kid growing up is L.A. in the mid 50’s, I remember smog days so bad I could not breathe because it hurt so badly. With the advent of catalytic converters and changes in gasoline formulations, the air quality is considerably better. If you don’t think that is worth something, you can certainly find a smoggier place to live.

JustAGuy

I’m glad I no longer live in California. On top of all the turmoil in the world that Obama can’t / won’t address because he’s focused like a laser beam on his re-election, California, being California has imposed high taxation on gas.

That $4.93 paid in the Miracle Mile is about $1.55 HIGHER than what I paid this morning. But then again, I live in a red state!
James Anderson

Yet Obama wants $7.00 a gallon gas to “encourage” conservation and switch over to green energy.

What a butt wipe.

http://allroadsleadtofema.wordpress.com allroadsleadtofema

He’ll probably have $8 a gallon once he goes to war with Iran.

https://allroadsleadtofema.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/entry-1/

maroonvee

Meanwhile, Moochelle is offing on a vacation to ski in Aspen.. where the 1% go.

WookiesCanSki

Marie Antoinette Obama is just practicing her mantra of “Shared Sacrifice Wealth Redistribution” – or, in other words, your Tax Dollars supporting her and her daughters Aspen Ski Vacation with the 1%. Notice that the Mainstream Meidia is NOT covering this…