Posts tagged gas prices

2012: A Year Of Gas Price Fibs On Fox In 2012, like most years, U.S. gasoline prices fluctuated according to global market conditions, seasonal changes in demand and several other factors. Fox News fluctuated too, finding bad — often contradictory — news in the ups and downs alike. No matter which way gas prices went, the network always found a way to forecast doom for the economy and pin it on Obama. But experts agree that no president can control gas prices. As Gas Prices Rise, Fox News Launches Relentless Campaign To Falsely Blame Obama  As Gas Prices Fall, Fox Asks: Are Low Gas Prices A Bad Thing? Fox News Portrays Romney As The Solution To High Prices When Romney Loses, Fox News Asks: “How Do You Explain That?”

2012: A Year Of Gas Price Fibs On Fox

In 2012, like most years, U.S. gasoline prices fluctuated according to global market conditions, seasonal changes in demand and several other factors. Fox News fluctuated too, finding bad — often contradictory — news in the ups and downs alike. No matter which way gas prices went, the network always found a way to forecast doom for the economy and pin it on Obama. But experts agree that no president can control gas prices.

  • As Gas Prices Rise, Fox News Launches Relentless Campaign To Falsely Blame Obama 
  • As Gas Prices Fall, Fox Asks: Are Low Gas Prices A Bad Thing?
  • Fox News Portrays Romney As The Solution To High Prices
  • When Romney Loses, Fox News Asks: “How Do You Explain That?”
South Carolina gas falls below $3 a gallon CNN Money: “The statewide average price for South Carolina was $2.987 per gallon of unleaded gasoline on Tuesday, according to AAA. This is the first time that the statewide average in any state has dipped below $3 since Missouri crossed that line on Feb. 22, 2011.”

South Carolina gas falls below $3 a gallon

CNN Money: “The statewide average price for South Carolina was $2.987 per gallon of unleaded gasoline on Tuesday, according to AAA. This is the first time that the statewide average in any state has dipped below $3 since Missouri crossed that line on Feb. 22, 2011.”

The Charts That Prove Obama Doesn’t Set Gas Prices America produces 200 times as much oil as Germany, but our gas prices rise and fall in tandem (we pay far lower gas taxes). Source:  Energy Information Administration and NY Times. The issue of gas prices has not only been misunderstood but thoroughly distorted by relentless ideological spin from industry and its political allies, mainly Republican. Hardly a day goes by that some industry cheerleader somewhere — be it Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana or Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma — does not flay President Obama for driving up oil prices by denying the industry access to oil and gas deposits and imposing ruinous environmental rules. Senator John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said last week that Mr. Obama should be held “fully responsible for what the American public is paying for gasoline.” In 2005, oil imports accounted for nearly 60 percent of America’s daily consumption. In 2010, for the first time in recent memory, imports were less than half of consumption, and last year, imports were only 45% — 8.6 million barrels a day of the 19 million consumed. Source: EIA With developing countries like China and India demanding more petroleum, prices are likely to stay high. That’s reality — no matter what the Republican spinners say. Only a rounded policy mix of greater fuel efficiency, steady production and the aggressive development of alternative fuels can protect American consumers against what could be even greater price shocks in the years ahead.

The Charts That Prove Obama Doesn’t Set Gas Prices

America produces 200 times as much oil as Germany, but our gas prices rise and fall in tandem (we pay far lower gas taxes). Source:  Energy Information Administration and NY Times.

The issue of gas prices has not only been misunderstood but thoroughly distorted by relentless ideological spin from industry and its political allies, mainly Republican. Hardly a day goes by that some industry cheerleader somewhere — be it Gov. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana or Senator James Inhofe of Oklahoma — does not flay President Obama for driving up oil prices by denying the industry access to oil and gas deposits and imposing ruinous environmental rules. Senator John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican, said last week that Mr. Obama should be held “fully responsible for what the American public is paying for gasoline.”

In 2005, oil imports accounted for nearly 60 percent of America’s daily consumption. In 2010, for the first time in recent memory, imports were less than half of consumption, and last year, imports were only 45% — 8.6 million barrels a day of the 19 million consumed. Source: EIA

With developing countries like China and India demanding more petroleum, prices are likely to stay high. That’s reality — no matter what the Republican spinners say. Only a rounded policy mix of greater fuel efficiency, steady production and the aggressive development of alternative fuels can protect American consumers against what could be even greater price shocks in the years ahead.

The New York Times

Another Whopper From Fox’s Graphics Department There are several reasons why this graphic does more to confuse than to inform. First, Fox double-counted state taxes. They included the average state tax of about 23 cents per gallon both in the category “state” taxes and in the category”state & local” taxes. The totalof both state and local taxes is 30.4 cents on average. Fox also placed $3.83 at the bottom, as if taxes are in addition to the price for gasoline. But the $3.83 figure already includesthe taxes. And in a continuing struggle with the concept of scale, Fox’s three tax figures appear about 70 percent as large as the $3.83 displayed underneath, when mathematically they’re less than 20 percent (and that’s without correcting for the double-counted state taxes). 

Another Whopper From Fox’s Graphics Department

There are several reasons why this graphic does more to confuse than to inform. First, Fox double-counted state taxes. They included the average state tax of about 23 cents per gallon both in the category “state” taxes and in the category”state & local” taxes. The totalof both state and local taxes is 30.4 cents on average. Fox also placed $3.83 at the bottom, as if taxes are in addition to the price for gasoline. But the $3.83 figure already includesthe taxes.

And in a continuing struggle with the concept of scale, Fox’s three tax figures appear about 70 percent as large as the $3.83 displayed underneath, when mathematically they’re less than 20 percent (and that’s without correcting for the double-counted state taxes). 

mediamatters.org

Perhaps when gas is $2.50 per gallon Ms. Fluke will be able to afford her own contraceptives.
Methinks, Jsmog’s token conservative

groups.google.com

If increasing oil drilling lowered gas prices, we’d know it already. When President Obama took office in 2009, there were fewer than 400 drilling rigs operating in the United States, a number that dwindled to fewer than 200 by April 2009. Since then, even as his administration conducted a wholesale review of drilling regulations in the aftermath of the worst offshore oil spill in the nation’s history—the BP Deepwater Horizon oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico—the number of oil rigs operating in the United States has quadrupled. But that massive influx of supply has done nothing to reduce the price we pay to top up our tanks.

If increasing oil drilling lowered gas prices, we’d know it already. When President Obama took office in 2009, there were fewer than 400 drilling rigs operating in the United States, a number that dwindled to fewer than 200 by April 2009. Since then, even as his administration conducted a wholesale review of drilling regulations in the aftermath of the worst offshore oil spill in the nation’s history—the BP Deepwater Horizon oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico—the number of oil rigs operating in the United States has quadrupled. But that massive influx of supply has done nothing to reduce the price we pay to top up our tanks.

thinkprogress.org

Join the Discussion on the Jsmog Forum First of all, let’s go over a few facts about gas prices. Fact: No president has ever had any influence over the price of gas, whether increasing or decreasing, ever. Not Reagan, not Bush Sr or Jr, not Clinton, not Carter, no president. Fact: Domestic energy production has soared under President Obama. Fact: President Obama has taken huge steps to reduce our dependence on oil. Fact: Big oil made a record $137 BILLION in profits last year. Fact: Republican politicians refuse to end taxpayer handouts to big oil. Fact: Republican politicians want to cut big oil’s taxes even more.

Join the Discussion on the Jsmog Forum

First of all, let’s go over a few facts about gas prices.
  1. Fact: No president has ever had any influence over the price of gas, whether increasing or decreasing, ever. Not Reagan, not Bush Sr or Jr, not Clinton, not Carter, no president.
  2. Fact: Domestic energy production has soared under President Obama.
  3. Fact: President Obama has taken huge steps to reduce our dependence on oil.
  4. Fact: Big oil made a record $137 BILLION in profits last year.
  5. Fact: Republican politicians refuse to end taxpayer handouts to big oil.
  6. Fact: Republican politicians want to cut big oil’s taxes even more.

groups.google.com

climateadaptation: Hmmm… “America’s dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year since President Obama took office. In 2010, we imported less than 50 percent of the oil our nation consumed—the first time that’s happened in 13 years—and the trend continued in 2011.” White House

climateadaptation:

Hmmm…

“America’s dependence on foreign oil has gone down every single year since President Obama took office. In 2010, we imported less than 50 percent of the oil our nation consumed—the first time that’s happened in 13 years—and the trend continued in 2011.”

White House