Tesoro made themselves quite popular yesterday in my town at two stations by suddenly raising gas prices at the pumps. This was not just a five cent move, but a full 52 cent leap, that may have awakened the town to things ahead on the horizen! Crowley Marine will probably follow at their pumps by weeks end. Taxi services crying something fierce and will almost double fares. A healthy blow for a poor community in northwest Alaska. Should be a miniature study in trickle down economics and cascading effects over the coming weeks. This is in a state that is an abundant producer of Petroleum! Sure, North Slope prices are up, our fuel is barged in, and that increases the cost, but the explanations have been few publicly and politically (of course). Might want to top off soon at your own location.

-- (snowleopard6@webtv.net), September 30, 1999

Answers

TESORO!!!!

Those guys are still around???? Cannot believe it!

After a 7year stint in the oil market. I learned that the only ones that have the cushion to sustain sudden pump price increases are the Majors. Tesoro is not a major, they simply ran out of their low cost inventory and had to dip into the $24.00bbl stuff.

OUCH!!

This will eventually becoming to a station near you.

What inflation Mr.Greenspan?

-- David Butts (dciinc@aol.com), September 30, 1999.

Snowleopard- Where are you? We have Tesoro on some of the other islands, but not on Kauai that I know about...

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), September 30, 1999.

Dude,

I'd feel sorry for you but that ALREADY happened here last March. Prices went from $1.24 to $1.89 within a day. Now it is $1.63.

We are hurting big time up here behind the redwood curtain. The whole economy is in deep doo-doo. If it wasn't for the weed growers there would be no one with money up here at all.

-- R (riversoma@aol.com), September 30, 1999.

Mad Monk, Location is old gold mining town at the end of the Iditarod Trail - Nome, Alaska.

-- (snowleopard6@webtv.net), September 30, 1999.

Gas has gone up a lot in most places. This summer in my area the price per gallon was 0.85. Now its 1.20. Thats a 35 cent difference per gallon over a four month period. Not as drastic as your's, but still painful to the pocketbook.

-- John Ainsworth (ainsje@cstone.net), September 30, 1999.

High gas prices, high food prices, poor pollies. Winter is coming, no food, no water, no electricity, whatcha gunna do, whatcha gunna do, whatcha gunna do when the big white bus comes for you? Don't forget to take bleach, lice and crab spray, toilet seat covers, rubber gloves, face masks, antibacterial soap, ear plugs, toilet paper, and paper towels.

-- bardou (bardou@baloney.com), September 30, 1999.

Snowleopard,

What are gas prices in Nome? We just had an article in our local paper stating that Idaho has the highest gas prices in the nation. However, our 1.59 isn't as high as R's in the redwoods....

-- bike&ski (aka Kathy) (y2k@sunvalley.net), October 01, 1999.

Kathy,

Pump price is now at $2.36! Less money now for preps. More remote Eskimo and Indian villages probably much higher.

-- (snowleopard6@webtv.net), October 01, 1999.

Hey snow leopard-

What, you mean the gov. hasn't made your borough a heritage site yet? You can expect guys in white uniforms and blue hats to be running the mines very soon now. UN-fortunately!

I can almost smell that Tesoro gas now. Each time I venture back to Alaska, it takes a while to get use to the stink of the gas. I don't know what the difference in refining is, I chalked it up to additives for extreme weather conditions. But the smell is unique, compared to any other area I've been in.

I don't think I'd be expecting the sea lift next year, if I were you. Hope you've been able to convince all your loved ones, and friends that Y2K is REAL!

Best wishes: Kywana Puc! (?sp)

PS. Who won the race this year?

-- Michael (mikeymac@uswest.net), October 01, 1999.