Gas Prices

[diyer2]

$4.55-$4.35 85 oct. around here. 

It is what it is.

[CamGTP]

Went from $4.14ish to $4.60 today. Talk about a huge jump for one day.

[Jsdirt]

On 5/12/2026 at 11:34 AM, Grumpy Bear said:

 

Now we are in my wheelhouse  

 

Any refinery that can run sour crude can and does process sweet. Just can't do it as efficiently. Fact, no refinery in the USA processes ONLY sour crude. They are run on a blend and that the split has more to do with the price of the various feed streams or equipment utilization numbers than the processing equipment itself. 

 

When you run sweet in a sour plant there are certain parts of the plant that no long have a function OR are not fully utilized. Sulphur content is what determines the feed being called sour or sweet. 

 

So when WTI is sold to Europe it isn't due to a lack of processing ability. It's due to 'limiting profit' running it here.  

 

Sour crudes are not just the middle east. Venezuela, Canada, Mexico are also sour. We import all three. Chevron has a very large presents in Venezuela. Chevron's refinery in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and several others along the Gulf Coast,  Valero and Marathon Oil are sour plants as are many in the Midwest that use Canada crudes. 

 

This all is tied more to profit than to ability. A new refinery built specifically for WTI just makes more money but supply is limited in the big picture.  

 

Fact is we only have one refinery in the USA that processes only sweet. Toledo Ohio and it isn't a big one. 180K bpd. There is a second planed for Brownsville to run sweet shale crudes but....also small 160K bpd.

 

Fact, it is cheaper to build and run a sweet plant and there are more high value products in sweet crudes. There is just a limited supply on the planet. Sour plants proliferate in the USA due to past practice when OPEC was flooding the market and it was cheap enough to warrant such a move and US production of sweet was small. There are refineries in the USA that have units that date back to the 1920's. 

 

I worked a Getty light gas plant that changed boiler and thermal cracker fuel type up to four times a day based on cost. Ran our butts ragged during the 70's embargo. Nothing in a refinery is not driven by extracting that last penny a barrel. It has nothing to do with the needs of a nation or it's people. 

I know I wouldn't want to invest, only to have another oil-hater in office in 3 years that plans on decimating the industry to try and steal "big oil's" profits for green crap. Can't really blame them.

 

No different than any other business, really. They're all in it to make money. Nobody truly cares about the grunts on the ground doing all the work. Screw up their numbers and your gone, replaced without a 2nd thought, no matter the industry.

 

All my life not one employer truly cared about their workers. Today, they just say they do ... but their actions say the same thing they've always said. MONEY is the first priority above ALL ELSE. Keeps the USA the best in the world, though.

Edited May 14 by Jsdirt

[Atlas]

 

 

If your excursion lasts longer than two months, consult a physician.

[Jsdirt]

What if it lasts 4 years? But, that's ok though ... because it was the "correct" party, right? 

[KARNUT]

4 hours ago, Jsdirt said:

What if it lasts 4 years? But, that's ok though ... because it was the "correct" party, right? 

I expect two weeks max. It finally dawned on me that the pause is for other countries to step up to the plate. They’re the most affected. China is the last piece. I fully expected the massive military campaign to continue. Then I realized this pause takes care of the second guessing and the what if’s. It’s really amusing to watch and listen to the people claiming there wasn’t a reason for this. They said the opposite for quite awhile. Trump said it had to be done even if it cost the midterms for his party. When have you ever seen that before? The price had to be paid even if it costs an extra 1$ per gallon. Some people are patriotic some are just looking for an edge. You don’t think they would use a nuke if they get one? They just killed 30 to 40 thousand of their own people for simple protesting. I’ll pay a little more for gas. The least I can do.

[Atlas]

1 hour ago, KARNUT said:

I expect two weeks max. It finally dawned on me that the pause is for other countries to step up to the plate. They’re the most affected. China is the last piece. I fully expected the massive military campaign to continue. Then I realized this pause takes care of the second guessing and the what if’s. It’s really amusing to watch and listen to the people claiming there wasn’t a reason for this. They said the opposite for quite awhile. Trump said it had to be done even if it cost the midterms for his party. When have you ever seen that before? The price had to be paid even if it costs an extra 1$ per gallon. Some people are patriotic some are just looking for an edge. You don’t think they would use a nuke if they get one? They just killed 30 to 40 thousand of their own people for simple protesting. I’ll pay a little more for gas. The least I can do.

 

It's more 4-D chess, man. You must be a grandmaster with insight into "the plan".

 

Actually, you've got more than two weeks to go, kNut.

 

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

Several stations have lowered price about 20 cents. $4.799... this week. 

[Jsdirt]

21 hours ago, KARNUT said:

I expect two weeks max. It finally dawned on me that the pause is for other countries to step up to the plate. They’re the most affected. China is the last piece. I fully expected the massive military campaign to continue. Then I realized this pause takes care of the second guessing and the what if’s. It’s really amusing to watch and listen to the people claiming there wasn’t a reason for this. They said the opposite for quite awhile. Trump said it had to be done even if it cost the midterms for his party. When have you ever seen that before? The price had to be paid even if it costs an extra 1$ per gallon. Some people are patriotic some are just looking for an edge. You don’t think they would use a nuke if they get one? They just killed 30 to 40 thousand of their own people for simple protesting. I’ll pay a little more for gas. The least I can do.

Yep, Trump is the master negotiator - that's how he got to be a billionaire DECADES ago. People are so blinded and brainwashed by their hatred of this man that all rational thought about this campaign goes right out the window. They'll take CNN talking points as gospel.

 

The longer this drags on, the more hurt it puts on our enemies - more hurt = more negotiating power in OUR favor.

 

As much as people ****** and complain, I see plenty of cars coming and going from Section 8 MA housing (paid for by US, the taxpayers) - they seem to have found money to keep their cars rolling. We can take it. We've taken worse for much longer, people forget!

 

One by one, Iran's oil wells will become unusable - you can't turn of the spigot without causing damage to the well. Since Trump closed the Straight, Iran has nowhere to store the constant flow of oil. If they shut them down, they'll never have the same output again.

 

Brilliant strategy. Plus, the rest of our enemies are screwed. It's a win-win.

[KARNUT]

3.72 Kroger’s in Montgomery TX

[Jsdirt]

MA is screwing us to the wall as usual with road taxes. $4.49 for the company van - $119.00 to fill.

 

If you saw our roads & bridges you'd wonder just where in the hell all this tax money ended up ...

 

This is just a railroad bridge with 100+ tons rolling over your head while stuck at the traffic light. Nothing to see here!

https://postimg.cc/gallery/dZdHmdG

[richard wysong]

Yeah , $160 to fill the Highway truck. I noticed on 1 of my patrol routes a couple of bridges held up by wooden cribbing and another by steel pipes to delay the inevitable collapse. These aren't secondary road overpasses, they are on an interstate highway. I hope the railroads are better at their maintenance than the state but I doubt it. Plenty of train bridges in my area and I cringe being under 1 with a train passing overhead

[Donstar]

Imagine my excitement when gas price locally went down from $210.9 per litre to $207.9 per litre this weekend! 

[Atlas]

9 hours ago, Jsdirt said:

MA is screwing us to the wall as usual with road taxes. $4.49 for the company van - $119.00 to fill.

 

If you saw our roads & bridges you'd wonder just where in the hell all this tax money ended up ...

 

This is just a railroad bridge with 100+ tons rolling over your head while stuck at the traffic light. Nothing to see here!

https://postimg.cc/gallery/dZdHmdG

 

Your state gas tax is $0.24/gallon. A relative bargain considering they have to repave half the roads every year after the spring thaw cycle.

 

If you'd prefer $0.20/gallon, you can move to Cornhole or Montgummmrey Texas.

[KARNUT]

16 minutes ago, Atlas said:

 

Your state gas tax is $0.24/gallon. A relative bargain considering they have to repave half the roads every year after the spring thaw cycle.

 

If you'd prefer $0.20/gallon, you can move to Cornhole or Montgummmrey Texas.

Your disrespect makes you a little man. We’re in the top three for growth. You live a beautiful area. Maybe you’ll change your voting habits before all your businesses are gone. It’s utopia here except for two months of oppressive heat. In retirement it’s very easy to work around the heat. Remote start, climate control garage and an emergency generator. All easily affordable with all the money saved with low taxes and low cost of living. All you bluebirds can continue to vote in the destruction of your state. All I ask is don’t move here and ruin our wonderful utopia. Unless you finally wise up.