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Probably not. Gas prices are high and they will
not go down too far. In fact, if you think we're going
to go back to the days when we could buy a
gallon of gas for $ 0.99, I think you should
think again. We may see a small drop in prices,
but not much. In the days ahead we are more likely
going to see prices stabilizing well above $
3.00 per gallon. Why is that? |
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First of
all, we are in a different world today than we were
about 10 years ago. The fast growth of China and India
is being fueled by a lot of oil and this huge demand is
the main reason for the high prices we are paying. There
may be some speculation, but not enough to take the cost
of fuel to where it is. The main reason, I repeat, is
the rapid growth of consumption.
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Let's not
get desperate, though. In Europe, the average price of a
gallon of gas hovers around $6. In the Netherlands
gasoline costs almost $7 dollars a gallon. Therefore we
shouldn't complain. The main reason why fuel is so much
more expensive in Europe is that we still produce part
of what we burn and we have lots of coal to help out.
Europeans don't have such luck and have to import all
the fuel they need. |
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Offshore
drilling is not going to help much either. In fact, I
think we should not drill in search of more oil. What
the country should do is to conserve, to cut down on the
consumption of oil. The auto makers should begin the
production of more efficient cars right away because
they can. After all, they do it in Europe. General Motors
and Ford own
several European brands which are producing much more
efficient cars. They have diesel powered
vehicles which are very efficient and cause almost no
pollution. What are they waiting for? They should be
selling those cars right here and now!
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But what
about the owner of an
old
car or truck? How is he going to cope
with the high prices of gas? Well, there are different things we can do, depending on the way we use
our old trucks. If you have a truck with a big V8 engine
and you drive a lot you’ll have to reduce your mileage
substantially. Instead of using your truck everyday get
a small car and drive it most of the time. If you travel
long distances with your truck, cut down on that too. In
other words make a little sacrifice and drive less, a
lot less. The more you cut down on your driving the more
you’ll be saving. |
A radical
solution to the high cost of fuel is to install a
smaller engine or even a diesel engine in your truck. It
may sound strange and it is not natural to have an old
Ford or
Chevy truck with a diesel engine. But it’s been
done in many countries where fuel is much more expensive
than here and these trucks work very well. Diesel prices
are higher than gas prices but the diesel engine is much
more efficient. Diesel engines burn as much as 30 per
cent less fuel than gas powered engines and not only
that: today’s diesel engines are much quieter and
cleaner than they used to be in the recent past.
Is this
something you find too hard to do? Well, then don’t
complain about gas prices. And don't think this
will be over soon, because it will not.
Conservation is the solution to our fuel problem. We
have to learn how to live with less and we will have to
do it this time. If we had started in 1973 when we faced
our first oil crisis we would be laughing now. Drive
less, walk more, slow down, change your oil, fuel and air
filters, keep your tires at the right pressure and,
above all, don’t drive without a good reason. I repeat:
conservation is the solution to our fuel problem and
high gas prices. Lower
prices will only make everybody spend more again and this crisis will
never go away. Learn to conserve fuel and we'll all be
much happier and safer.
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