However, there are some significant problems associated with trying to tackle the supply side. In particular, there is the problem of consumer or public resistance to changes in energy provision and, also, there is the problem of limited capacity to effect change.

In terms of consumer resistance, this is evident in two particular areas – cost of fuel and provision of alternative types of fuel production. The cost of fuel is evident from the cost of petrol (which Americans call ‘gas’). This cost is significantly below what it should be in nearly every part of the world. In Europe, petrol prices are properly taxed so that those who use it also contribute to providing the safety and recovery precautions required by using the roads. Road traffic accidents – particularly when large, powerful vehicles moving at high speed are involved – are serious issues which can cause injury and death; such incidents have significant negative externalities and it is only proper, under the now internationally-accepted ‘polluter pays principle,’ that motorists should contribute to the costs they cause. Road construction also has many other costs which have been borne by the general public historically.

Yet even in America, where the costs of petrol are incredibly low and this has caused the creation of urban and suburban structures and leisure and working culture that features extensive use of personal vehicles that are not necessarily fuel efficient, even in America people protest when the price rises only marginally. In the current (hugely comical and grotesque) race to become Republican presidential candidate, some aspirants are cynically using an increase in fuel prices caused by a range of international factors as a means of trying to smear the current President.

Consumer resistance is also evident in connection with the building of alternative, renewable energy-generation plants. This is closely related to nimbyism – that is, Not In My Back Yard, in which people refuse to accept a small price they personally have to pay in order to achieve a greater good for society as a whole. In Britain, this has become associated with the selfish, xenophobic followers of newspapers such as the Daily Mail and Daily Express.

The second issue relates to technical capacity. Consider, for example, nuclear power plants. If nuclear power is to become a significant part of the fuel capacity of high emission countries, then there needs to be dozens under construction at any one time. Yet most countries do not have any under construction and may even be closing down or decommissioning those that are in use as part of over-reactions on safety grounds. Under the current economic crisis of austerity, European governments in particular are spending less on energy infrastructure (and all government services) just at the time when there is an urgent need to spend more to stimulate the economy and provide jobs.

On this day I look at the top search topics on the Internet. Goggle Trends top twenty has nothing to do with the important things that do and are going to affect our daily lives and routine. But we as responsible Americans have other, more important interest in mind.]

The top search topic today is Derek Jeter. Derek Jeter just hit his 3000th hit in professional baseball. That is great. In a couple of years he may turn out to be like many others in front of a Congressional hearing on using illegal performance enhancing drugs. Doesn’t matter if he actually used them but the accusations are enough to destroy his career. But does he affect our daily lives? No.

Hines Ward is the second most searched topic and he too has nothing to do with our day-to-day lives. Just because he was the most valuable player in a Super Bowl and won Dancing With The Stars still has no impact on my gasoline prices and food costs.

Number three is Jeter’s girlfriend, Minka Kelly. The New York Yankees are number four and Shirley Temple memorabilia is number five. Number 6 through 20 is made up of celebrities of the entertainment industry, sports celebrities, and really just a bunch of crap.

Do these people that dominate searching the search engines not buy gas and groceries? Do they not fear that their individual rights are slowly being taken away? Do they have a job and if so, do they fear of loosing that job because of high cost of companies doing business here in the U.S.?

What will it take for the citizens of this great country to get involved and protect the very freedom that millions have died for? Does the younger generation of this country want to be told what to do and where to go instead of having the freedom to choose the course they want to take in live? Or are they too ignorant to understand the important issues? I think the individuals that want most Americans to be slaves and puppets are winning this game.

So for the young or just ignorant liberal individual that has no concept on real freedom and life, think of this. Next time you look at the gas pump and out of your twenty dollars, you got barely five gallons of gas. You go to Wal-Mart and spend $4.99 a pound for hamburger patties, and for those individuals with grander tastes, buy a T-bone steak for $18.00 at your local butcher. Have you ever thought of why prices are so high, or do you just accept it?

This action is nothing more than stupidity and laziness. And if it continues and you tolerate it, eventually you will be that puppet that is told what to do and when you can do it. Different times are coming and I am sure most will not like it. So enjoy your choices.

Last night, as I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, I had the radio on. There was one of those late night phone-in shows on. Normally I just like to have talk radio on as a bit of company while I tidy up, I don’t tend to get personally involved – you know, emailing or texting in, or even phoning the show. But last night was very nearly different.

The topic of discussion was the continuing rise in the cost of fuel. I’m not sure what’s happening in the rest of the world, but here in the UK the government and the oil companies are making it nearly impossible for the average man on the street to fill the petrol tank. I honestly can’t remember the last time I actually had a 100% full tank.

Fuel was expensive before Christmas. Locally we were paying approximately £1.23 a litre. New Year brought a VAT increase, which has moved the price up to around £1.25/26. In April we expect to see a further increase in the duty paid on fuel. Soon cars will become the preserve of the very wealthy.

The Greens love it. For the blinkered environmentalist there is only one Net result: less cars = less pollution. Like I said, blinkered. What the environmentalists fail to consider is the impact on the wider economy:

• Haulage firms can’t get goods to the shops because of diesel costs.

• Less goods in the stores means the items that are on the shelves cost more

• If groceries and general consumerables cost more then people are forced to prioritise – food or fuel, fuel or food?

• With more money being spent on day-to-day living there is less to go in the fuel tank

• With no fuel in the car, Average Joe can’t get to work

• With fewer staff, business can’t operate at optimal levels, productivity falters

• Less productivity equals less revenue

• Less revenue equals less taxable income for the government and the country’s deficit

As the fuel strikes of 2000 showed, public action only has limited impact. It’s true, the government reacted to the strikes and blockades in 2000, but when they thought people had forgotten, they gradually increased tax and continued to do so until we ended up where we are now. So, regardless of what the government does, regardless of public action and Green rhetoric, what can the individual do to counter the impact of fuel tax increases?

1. Clear out the car. How many of us drive around with loads of unnecessary junk in the car? The more stuff you have in the car the heavier it is. The heavier it is, the harder the engine has to work to move. The harder the engine works, the more fuel it consumes.

2. Don’t stamp on the accelerator or the brake. Drive smooth. Heavy acceleration consumes more fuel. Heavy braking reduces momentum too far; to get back up to speed requires more fuel.

3. Close windows and sunroofs. Contrary to popular belief, air conditioning uses less fuel than opening windows, so if you have it, use it. Opening windows and the sun roof creates a break in the car’s aerodynamics and therefore produces drag. Drag equals fuel consumption.

4. Shift gear early. Keep the engine between 2000 and 3000 rpm. Higher or lower than this range and the engine works harder.

5. Sounds simple, but consider routes with less traffic and less congestion points (traffic lights, roundabouts, speed bumps, etc.). These all create inefficiencies.

6. Maintain tyre pressures at manufacturer’s recommended levels. There’s a reason why they put those numbers in the manual – fuel efficiency.

7. Service the vehicle at the manufacturer’s recommended interval for the same reason as above.

We can’t control the cost of fuel, but we can can control the rate at which we consume it. It’s better for the wallet, and hey, it might even put a smile on the environmentalists’ faces too.

Why Diesel Fuel Is More Pricey Than Gasoline

Record has it that the gasoline prices have been higher than the diesel fuel prices.  But yet, this does not at all times hold true.  through some winters, the demand for distillate heating oil increases which also raises the price of diesel fuel—so much so that is becomes more expensive than gasoline.

In the United States since September 2004, the price of diesel fuel has been by and large higher than the price of gasoline all year round and this is due to several reasons.  The worldwide steady increase of demand for diesel fuel and other distillate fuel oils has put pressure on the stiff global refining capacity—more so with the strapping demand of such products in China, Europe, and the United States.

The conversion from low sulfur diesel (LSD) fuel to ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel in the United States has affected the diesel fuel fabrication and distribution costs.  This is due to the new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards for diesel fuel sulfur content.

an additional reason for this shift in the norm between gasoline and diesel fuel prices is that the federal excise tax on the latter is higher than the tax on gasoline.

The Primary Factors Affecting the Price of Diesel

Cost and supply of crude oil – The worldwide supply and demand of crude oil determines its price, and the rising demand has put immense pressure on the supply.  The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has all of the spare production capacity and possesses a significant percentage of the world’s crude oil reserves.  The prices spike as a response to the disorder in the international and domestic crude oil supply.

Tight refining capacity and international diesel fuel demand – Refineries in the United States have been in operations at around 90-percent capacity.  Other countries depend more heavily on distillates and diesel fuel than does United States, thus making the refining capacity tight worldwide.  Competing international demand for refined distillates affects the price of diesel fuel in the United States.

Product supply/demand imbalances – The prices of other commodities are more steady as compared to the prices of fuels because of the confidence on petroleum and because there are few alternative fuels in the market.  The stocks drop fast if the supply declines unexpectedly.  When stocks are low and declining, some players may bid higher for the product.  Prices will stay high if the diesel fuel transportation system cannot sustain the flow of surplus supplies.

Seasonality in the demand for diesel fuel and distillates – The price of diesel fuel gradually rises during the fall, declines in the late winter, rises through the early spring, and then declines in the summer.  The demand by farmers during the different seasons creates an increasing pressure on the diesel prices.

Transportation costs – The distance between the retail location and distribution terminals and refineries has a direct relationship with the transportation cost—that is, an increase in one increases the other.

Regional operating costs and local competition – Depending on the location of the dealer, the cost of doing business varies which comprise wages and salaries, benefits, equipment, lease, insurance, overhead, and state and local fees.  Although retail stations are in close proximity to one another, they even have differing costs.  Another issue that affects diesel fuel prices is the number and location of the local competitors.