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"Gas Stations Are About To Run Out Of Fuel As
Supplies Collapse And Prices Hit Stratospheric Levels"
by Epic Economist
"America’s supplies of gasoline and diesel are at critical levels – and things are going to get much worse than we’re being told. What we’re about to share with you today is a developing situation, and we will continue to keep track of the facts as this crisis evolves and the factors at play become clearer. Recent numbers show that a serious fuel crisis is coming this winter, and that will have a tremendous impact on our wallets and our economy. As you’ll see over the next few minutes, we’re being warned that gasoline prices are going to come back to historical highs, and oil executives are saying that there will be diesel shortages as demand for fuels soars amid the cold weather but our capacity to produce them remains limited. We understand that most Americans don’t spend much time thinking about diesel, but the truth is that without it our supply chains can’t function and our economy stops
On the West Coast, drivers are paying $6 a gallon on average. Nationwide, gas demand increased by half a million barrels per day last week while total domestic gasoline stocks decreased by 2.4 million barrels. “If demand remains robust as supply tightens, drivers should brace for rising pump prices through the winter,” the AAA wrote. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, many gas stations have already been completely depleted. “Numerous terminals are out of gasoline and ethanol due to various supply delays,” according to distributor TAC Energy.
On Wednesday, the Energy Information Administration revealed that gasoline stockpiles on the East Coast have dwindled to their lowest seasonal level on a calendar basis since 2007. As authorities start to relocate supplies from other regions to help boost East Coast reserves, gas shortages may become even more widespread in the weeks ahead. At the same time, an acute shortage of diesel is already underway, and it is threatening to keep inflation and hitting bills elevated all across the country through the winter.
Diesel is the main fuel used for transporting goods as well as powering construction, farming, and military vehicles and equipment. Our stockpiles have been depleted to less than a third of their usual levels for this time of year, which is concerning since many states rely on fuel for heating in the winter. According to the founder of Oil Price Information Service, Tom Kloza, if the country runs out of fuel this winter, the consequences could be disastrous. "It would freeze global commerce," said Kloza. “I think that every fuel has been essentially in crisis this year, at one time or another," he added, saying that this crisis has been manageable in the summer, but "now, the biggest risk comes in the crunch time for cold Northern Hemisphere temperatures, I would say from Christmas through Valentine's Day," Kloza said.
We wish we could tell you that there is hope that a major crisis can be averted, but even the CEO of Exxon is warning about turbulent times ahead, we should definitely start listening. In an interview with CNBC, Darren Woods said “consumers must be prepared to endure up to five years of turbulent oil markets,” citing under-investment and an abrupt transition to renewable energy that will cause society to “pay a high price.”
We’re already witnessing with our own eyes the effects of all this whenever we go to the gas station to fill in our car tanks. Everything is definitely about to change, but not in a good way. This is going to be disastrous, and all of us will suffer from the consequences of this supply crunch."
Comments here:
And then... what? And we're talking weeks...
you could refine all the gas you wanted (if the watermelons in charge hadn't disincentivized all investments in hydrocarbons); gonna be hard to get the gas to the station without diesel
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