Gas Prices May Have Stabilized

Tim October 10, 2012 at 02:37 am

The CA "summer blend" has has a lower Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP) than the "winter blend" fuel does. This means there is less evaporation. It does cost slightly more to produce, but it does also give a small boost in MPG. I have myself noticed an extra 2-3 MPG increase in my own car in the summer. Because of the lower RVP of the fuel, the thought is that it decreased photochemical smog in the hotter summer months when smog is a problem. This is still a major issue in CA, particularly in the LA basin and in the southern San Joaquin Valley. I don't think we should repeal the CARB rules for the fuel, but I do think there needs to be a contingency to automatically waive the rules in an emergency like this one so we're not overburdening people. It NEVER should have taken this long to waive the restrictions and lets not forget that CARB ignored a waiver request from the oil industry. It wasn't until Gov Brown stepped in and ordered them to do it that it happened. Better late then never I suppose.

Californicated1 October 10, 2012 at 04:59 am

In my "California Model" car, a 1997 Toyota Tercel, I use regular unleaded, which is what Toyota recommends for my 1.5 Litre 4-cylinder FWD with Turbo.
On the "California Blend" I can get 38 MPG and cruise 400 miles on a single tank of gas. On the formulation that the rest of North America uses, regular unleaded is at 85 Octane and I can go much farther on a tank of that fuel than I can on the "California Blend". And when I am driving in Phoenix, which is at 1700 feet (same elevation as Oakland Hills), I can pull 40 MPG and get an extra 50 miles on that tankful of 85 Octane. I burn more gas in Calfiornia using "California Blend" at 87 Octane, even at that altitude. And the more gas you burn, the more gas you buy. And when I drive at even higher altitudes, like in Laramie, Wyoming at 7500 feet, I can even go beyond 500 miles on a full tank of 85 Octane. And once again, I still can't get that mileage at that altitude on "California Blend", even here in California driving Donner, Sonora or Lassen. And guess what, it doesn't damage my emissions systems and my "California Model" can still pass a California smog test, like it did last June. From what I have seen, there is no reason for California to have a different blend of fuel than the rest of North America has. California drivers have been ripped off long enough and this is where it has gotten them.

Rich Buckley October 10, 2012 at 11:38 am

Part 1 of 2
A Zero Point Energy Economic Model (ZPEEM) could operate in a fashion similar to the manner in which we integrated these other advanced concepts into our social business model: (a) Fiber Optics vs Copper Wire (b) Transistor vs Vacuum Tube and (c) Digital Camera vs Film.  These "disruptive" new technologies were reported by US Army  (Retired) Philip Corso  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_J._Corso  ... as having been "released" into our manufacturing industry to "selected insiders list" after being reverse engineered. But at least they were released and there seems to be great benefit to society as a result even if the business models that developed became somewhat ologopolistic in-bed with and dominating our government as we seem to find it today. The fact is, we seem to be benefitting as a society from their release.

Rich Buckley October 10, 2012 at 11:39 am

Part 2 of 2
I greatly admire my heroic friend, Dr Bill O'Leary - Physicist, former Princeton University, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=178TJujE5oY&feature=youtube_gdata_player His ZPEEM- Model for society is trying to do too much. If he made just one change to his approach, I think his goal of "clean energy" could be realized. Just go ahead and promote public display, discussion, and seed funding. Put one restriction on the funding, the owners of the technology must agree not to shelve it and must produce a functioning prototype or lose it. O'Leary on the other hand is trying to bring forward a different social contract coupled with the use of this technology by completely by-passing panoply of profit incentive...a notion for which our current state of consciousness simply is not yet quite ready. If Dr. O'Leary allowed a broader tolerance for the way we are, and focused instead on just producing and seeding ZPEEM, money and resources would not dry up as the do now.

Rich Buckley October 10, 2012 at 12:03 pm

Zero Point Energy (super-clean energy) has resistance even in the environmental movements! Dr. O'Leary seemed very surprised (ref video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=178TJujE5oY&feature=youtube_gdata_player ... to discover the Al Gore-wing of Sen. Gore's "hypothetical" environmental movement will not work with O'Leary to promote "clean energy." Cutting to the chase regarding "environmental" movements in general, (a) a significant contingent within the environmental movement is pressing for a reduced size human population on Earth.... a population here to care for the bio-diversity not just itself. (b) I think Sen. Gore, like me, see's profit motive important as a distribution mechanism for goods and services......and let me leave it at that as further commit on Sen. Gore is only my personal political opinion whereas points (a) and (b) seem to have supporting objective evidence.

Rich Buckley October 10, 2012 at 05:21 pm

So LLNL seems to work like this:
https://www.llnl.gov/about/mgtsponsors.html NOTE: "DOE determines the mission of the Laboratory and provides funding for the work conducted." The question is who tells DOE what to tell LLNL? And, are there really two worlds separated by two theories of applied physics: (a) the Q-Clearance and above team, (b) all the rest. Given all the evidence that ZPEEM is suppressed (even on pain of death ref. "...the late Dr. Eugene Mallove, Chief Science Writer, for MIT, at some very high level, black-ops people, saw to it he was bludgeoned to death in his own backyard 12-hours before Mallove and a small group were to present a Zero-Point-Energy desktop device to an official Senate hearing." ) ... why can't DOE direct LLNL to commence a serious public discussion and development of operating prototypes on Zero Point Energy devices? We know Dr. Edward Teller was an able advocate for his own perspective of reality, who was able to sell science funding on projects he wanted... Who might be the current public advocate for Zero Point Energy? My Congressperson? My President? More to follow...

Rich Buckley October 10, 2012 at 05:41 pm

More likely, the current public advocate for Zero Point Energy (ZPE) does not yet exist. Until then we should just fill that void with our own voices. Maybe I'm just spitting in the wind, but all it takes is one bread-box size device that appears to be able to manufacture for $2,500 and retail for say $10,000 that would enable a household to get off the energy grid, and we start a ZPE revolution.
But the backyard killings, maiming, threatening, department de-fundings, debunking, and personal disparaging all has to stop. It's not going to stop until enough people demand open, transparent discussions and displays of an operating ZPE prototype .... and.... the environmental movement first finds a common ground to support ZPE openly and stop talking about "reducing human population" on Earth. Who would have ever figured that ultimately the biggest block against ZPE super clean bio-replacement energy plan development, would come from part of the green movement? They need to get on board with groups like O'Leary. So who are the groups and why can't they work together yet... more to follow...

Rich Buckley October 10, 2012 at 05:57 pm

One player with impact on public hearings, is Sen. John McCain.
"At those hearings, Senator John McCain [R-AZ] dismissed these undocumented and uncorroborated allegations made by Corso as being extremely difficult to believe, to say the least. McCain implied that Corso was guilty of fabricating the truth and essentially terminated the testimony being given by Corso immediately after a severe verbal reprimand on live television. McCain noted that his personal relationship with Eisenhower, led him to believe that Eisenhower was just not capable of allowing known American POWs to remain incarcerated after the termination of the Korean War" Some of my buddies (USMC) where shot down in Vietnam and stayed at the same prison camp with McCain (Hanoi Hilton). To my knowledge, and it would be of such a great help if he had, McCain never encountered a UFO. Several ... actually many of us did encounter them all around Southeast Asia. The technologies of the 3000 foot disk my radar intercept operating (RIO) and I encountered changed forever, what is credible for me and what is not. Zero Point Energy for me, is forever, credible. It would go a long ways if someone helped McCain deal with the anti-gravity science as he holds enormous power to implement public hearings on the subject and influence friends who can influence DOE who would set LLNL or a new course. So that's one key player we need to educate gently.

Daniel Graham October 10, 2012 at 07:01 pm

Hey @richfugly: your blathering is nothing more than eye pollution. Why don't you and your comrades fornicator, smuttybutter, rubyred and cherry leave these posts to the rest of us. Nobody is interested in what all you folks have to say.

Dalamar October 10, 2012 at 07:42 pm

The U.S. imports 61.2 % of total oil consumption
(Where Does America Get Oil? You May Be Surprised : NPRwww.npr.org › News › US) Oil is a matter of National Security (independence) due to energy needs, we can't expect to continue to be dependent of foreign sources. "According to current estimates It's a secret just how much oil the US military uses, but estimates range from around 400,000 barrels a day in peacetime – almost as much as Greece – to 800,000 barrels a day at the height of the Iraq war.This puts a single nation's armed forces near Australia as an oil consumer and among the top 25 countries in the world today. Every $10 rise in the price of oil costs the gas-guzzling US air force around an extra $600m each year. Just keeping one US soldier in Afghanistan with the world price of oil at $80 a barrel now costs hundreds of dollars a day in fuel alone. And because the US as a country imports more than $300bn worth of oil a year, fiscal reality is dawning." "The military knows this. Earlier this year a Joint Operating Environment report from the US joint forces command predicted that global surplus oil production capacity could disappear within two years and there could be a shortfall of nearly 10m barrels a day by 2015." --Surging price of oil forces US military to seek alternative energy ...www.guardian.co.uk › Environment Regardless of politics, we should ALL be concerned about finding alternative energy

David October 10, 2012 at 08:38 pm

California is #4 in the nation in oil production. We used to be #3, until North Dakota took over, generating 50,000+ jobs that pay $50,000+++ by actually allowing drilling.
California has significantly more proven oil reserves, and even more "shale oil/gas" than North Dakota. Our fuel prices are a choice made by upper middle class and higher "liberals" who enjoy paying their indulgences in the form of higher fuel prices in the name of "environmentalism." Meanwhile, everyone who is not making $100k+++/year suffers disproportionately. Well done, rich "liberals"! Your quest to turn California into a playground for the wealthy and filthy barrios for their servants is increasingly successful! Congrats.

Rich Buckley October 10, 2012 at 08:44 pm

You seem to be right Daniel Graham, the evidence is clear that most people do not care, worse they don't want to think on such things. Not one elected official will stand up for the issue of Zero Point Energy, not one newspaper will do an in-depth analysis on the subject, not one Director at LLNL will push currently to put on a public seminar and demonstration fair. Those respected officials that have tried, get themselves, as they say... "heart attacked". Not one Presidential candidate will discuss it.

Daniel Graham October 10, 2012 at 09:08 pm

@richfugly: we don't care, we have our lives to live. Between you and fornicated, you have ruined my experience here on these pages.

Rich Buckley October 11, 2012 at 08:27 am

Daniel, sorry bout that; truths can often be unsettling at first.
"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. "...A. Schoupenhauer

David October 11, 2012 at 12:17 pm

I have a perpetual motion machine to sell you.

Tim October 11, 2012 at 01:38 pm

Actually regular unleaded in most of the USA is 87 octane, not 85. You'll only find 85 octane fuel as "regular unleaded" in high altitude areas like Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, etc. As far as you getting better gas mileage in these states on ordinary gasoline than in CA on "summer blend" I'm not buying it. I generally get better gas mileage in traveling in AZ, NM, etc, but I attribute that to the open roads and lack of stop and go traffic that greatly reduces fuel economy in urban areas like the bay area. Plus, you can't compare driving at high altitudes on the Colorado Plateau (flat) to that of the hills of the northern CA Sierras. A better comparison would be comparing your fuel economy right here in CA in summer versus winter. I see a 2-3 mpg increase in summer here in CA. You can argue the environmental impact of "summer blend" vs regular or "winter blend" but it seems to me that a lower RVP means less evap and less evap means fewer harmful emissions that create photochemical smog which is a real health concern for children, the elderly and those with chronic respiratory issues.

Rich Buckley October 11, 2012 at 01:45 pm

Part I of 2
The patent office does not accept patent applications for "Perpetual Motion Machines". Some of the inventors working on these Zero Point Energy devices from what I can read, work-around the patent office out-dated criteria. Instead of illustrating "torsion energy" explained here by Astro Physicist Nissam Haramein here: http://youtu.be/S1JDMToJDe0 and reviewed here by R. Hoagland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Hoagland#Hyperdimensional_physics

Rich Buckley October 11, 2012 at 01:46 pm

Part 2 of 2
... a term not recognized by mainstream science, Inventors simply use terms accepted by science. What they care about is a working demonstration. The key of course is public display, "rigorous scientific challenge and inspection", and at least a patent pending for the inventors. Projects like this are easy to sidetrack. Publish the work of a conflict-of-interest professional debunker, and don't publish hundreds of successful Cold Fusion replications. Peace and Conflict Resolution.Org, http://tinyurl.com/463w52s ...has started the application process for a grant to work with other NGO's and Government Organizations to start a Zero Point Energy public discussion in Northern California to include demonstration models brought into the US under tight security for everyone's protection. Skeptic's and debunker's will certainly not be turned away from participating (at least as witnesses) as they will comprise the best sales team, once enlightened. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=178TJujE5oY&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Californicated1 October 11, 2012 at 02:49 pm

No, it's not.
87 is mid-grade and 90 or 91 is high-Octane depending on the state (in New Mexico, you can't even get 91 Octane in places like Las Vegas or even Roswell, while in Colorado and Wyoming, you can). 85 is regular. Go check out a gas pump in the rest of the country the next time you travel.

Tim October 11, 2012 at 03:16 pm

I have driven in over 40 states in this country, most recently the entire I-95 corridor from NYC to Jacksonville, FL and in EVERY state I went through regular unleaded is 87 octane. Again, as I said before, 85 octane is regular only in "high altitude" areas in the west.

Californicated1 October 11, 2012 at 03:28 pm

I-95 doesn't count, especially here in western North America.
But perhaps this might help in explaining Colorado Fuel Standards: http://www.aaa.com/aaa/006/EnCompass/2007/mar/mar_AutoTalk.htm I'm still looking for an up-to-date chart on Octane standards listed by state, because that also varies.

Californicated1 October 11, 2012 at 03:36 pm

This little article is interesting. In between a few beers and fly-fishing out there at Breckinridge, these folks actually met to discuss fuel Octane ratings:
http://cwpma.org/article.php?id=193 And that General Motors is actually trying to get states to ban the use and manufacture of 85 Octane gas. I wonder why....

Californicated1 October 11, 2012 at 03:42 pm

And here is the closest to an Octane Chart listed by state (and province) produced by an association of ethanol-free gasoline producers:
http://pure-gas.org/index.jsp?stateprov=CO Just go there and click on the link above the chart to select any state you want and it will give you a list of gas stations, their locations and the grades of gasoline they sell by their Octane Rating. Still looking for something officially sanctioned by a governmental agency--usually I can find that they are the least biased source of information like this. I am surprised somebody either at the DOE or the FTC does not have something similar.

Rich Buckley October 12, 2012 at 01:24 pm

Part 1 of 2
Sometimes we just have to drag mainstream science screaming & kicking into a room full of mirrors so TPTB have to look. Zero Point Energy is a room without boundaries and it's power source everywhere. Just look. NOAA has today started Oct 10, 2012, reporting again, they have just discovered and started tracking Sept 26, 2012, a large oil sheen 50 miles off the coast of Louisiana.  http://tinyurl.com/9aos7x7 In other dispatches during the first BP event, NOAA reported that oil sheen's have surface movement subject to surface weather which may differ from the dominant clockwise subsurface water pattern in the Gulf which generally migrates towards the tip of Florida.  That NOAA makes no claim to have determined the source of this oil sheen, sounds like a convenient political contrivance to divert attention during the last 30 days of a Presidential election campaign. 

Rich Buckley October 12, 2012 at 01:24 pm

Part 2 of 2
"Sometimes we just have to drag mainstream science screaming & kicking into a room full of mirrors so TPTB have to look. Zero Point Energy is a room without boundaries and it's power source everywhere. Just look." NOAA has under its command robotic ships used for many purposes, one of which was mapping deep ocean bottoms down 1200+ meters deep, and reporting on water quality and conditions. Their capability enables NOAA scientists to locate, through careful grid-pattern searches, just this very thing, oil leak sources. They work fast and give real time information.  NOAA retains a great team of experts that are either (a) being kept quiet at the moment and not allowed to follow up with their comments publicly on their in-depth research, or (b) they "have tasked their assets on other priorities,".... like there might be a higher priority?! When this election is over, I expect the "real news" to be told in great detail.

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Rich Buckley October 29, 2012 at 11:50 am

Meditation on Hurricane Sandy: Let us “visualize transmuting these massive forces of destruction into heart energies”
http://tinyurl.com/9mebb37

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