(apologies to H.G. Wells)
Yesterday the pumps went dry at both gas stations on Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. Although most military families in Tucson buy gas on base, this doesn’t create a hardship, since we can buy gas at the same discounted price at Costco and other civilian discount stations around town. At the moment, there are no fuel distribution or supply problems in Arizona: not a single off-base station (and there are hundreds of them) is out of gas.
But I’m wondering. It’s pretty clear the base didn’t “run out” of gas. Whoever was supposed to reorder fuel when the inventory got low, didn’t. Was this a mistake, or was it deliberate? I’m thinking it was deliberate. The military, as part of the government, is sending a government-sponsored message to its people. It’s training us to share the pain. It’s leaning forward, anticipating nationwide gas shortages.
Will those shortages come? And how soon? What do you think? I’ll tell you what I think. Yes. Soon.
Well, great. Maybe this’ll finally kickstart the development of hydrogen production, distribution, and fuel cell technology. Thirty years ago they were saying we could convert from petroleum to hydrogen in about thirty years. Today, they’re saying we can convert from petroleum to hydrogen . . . in about thirty years. You know, if we don’t get effing started, it’s always going to be thirty years away.
I’m thankful I have a motorcycle, a vehicle that gets 40+ miles to the gallon. I expect I’ll be riding it lot this fall (and maybe all winter – I’m also thankful I live in a dry, warm climate).
Dick 09/03/05 4:14 AM
Call it General Bitch Session? There must be a Hash term for something that will fit.
One of my major complaints with the Bush administration is that we need an energy program that makes the Apollo Program look like child’s play. Everything should be on the table, and that includes drilling in ANWAR.
My second bitch is that we need to do the same thing with biotech. It is the coming wave of the future and it is just a matter of who is going to do it. Everything should be on the table, and that includes stem cell research for openers.
There now, I’ve managed to piss off both sides of the political spectrum.
Paul Woodford 09/03/05 4:19 AM
Dick, how about current events? D’oh, I’m embarrassed I didn’t have that as a weblog category all along!
themess 09/07/05 1:16 AM
From an engineering point of view, the use of hydrogen to power cars makes little sense, which is why not too much work has been put into it. There is no natural source for large amounts of H2. It is most commonly made in two ways. The first is cracking natural gas. But natural gas can be burned in gasoline engines with minor modifications, it burns cleanly, and it gives more power than the H2 that can be made from it. The other source of H2 is electrolysis of water, which requires electricity. Like any process, it is inefficient, about as good as using electric cars powered by batteries.
The real solutions are technologically ready, but lobbyists have prevented widespread adoption through Congressional disincentives. Houses in North America almost don’t need furnaces if they are properly made. Old houses can be retrofitted to cut energy consumption in half. This frees up natural gas, LP and fuel oil = diesel, all of which can be used in cars. I’ve owned two cars that routinely got 40 mpg in town and 50 mpg on the highway using early 80s technology, and they weren’t tiny. There is no technological reason that the average car can’t be made to get 75 mpg on the road and 50 mpg in town, and still be comfortable, safe and fun to drive. But we can’t do that driving trucks.
PayPerView 09/07/05 6:02 AM
Having been all over the world, Americans are fortunate to ONLY be paying $3 a gallon. In other places, cars are considered a luxury item (and often taxed heavily). How’s that for a positive perspective? 😉
P.Head 09/11/05 12:58 PM
I don’t see shortages any time soon. Reasons as follows:
1) Summer driving season is pretty much over. This means demand dropping.
2) The affected refineries are coming back on line very quickly expept for the couple that got really hammered.
3) The EPA allowed the refineries to go to the winter blends last week. There’s far fewer winter blends than summer blends so it’s easier for them to keep up with demand and to balance the inventory around the country.
4) The US gov’t has dipped into the petroleum reserves.
I’m already seeing prices dropping here in Ohio.
P.Head
Flying Booger 09/17/05 2:37 AM
Yeah, prices have dropped here too. But I’ve been riding my motorcycle full-time. Ever since I parked the truck, our fuel expenditures have almost vanished.
Wouldn’t it be awesome if large numbers of commuters in urban areas switched to scooters and motorcycles, like in Italy? Not only would we save tons on gas, there’d be so many scooters and motorcycles around that car drivers might finally start SEEING us and quit running into us!