If the gov't cared about us, why would gas spike before Katrina?

[gasolineboycottday]

If the gov't cared about us, why would gas prices spike before Katrina? If they were concerned, they'd LOWER the consumer cost so that all those potential storm victims could AFFORD to flee...


Katrina Targeting U.S. Oil Operations, gas prices likely to rise

By JUSTIN BACHMAN, AP Business Writer 1 hour, 8 minutes ago

NEW YORK - With crude oil prices already at record levels, a hurricane targeted the heart of America's oil and refinery operations Sunday, shutting down an estimated 1 million barrels of daily production and threatening to curtail refining activity in the region.

Katrina, a Category 5 storm expected to strike near New Orleans early Monday, was churning through the Gulf of Mexico. The area is crucial to the nation's energy infrastructure � offshore oil and gas production, import terminals, pipeline networks and numerous refining operations throughout southern Louisiana and Mississippi....

"It's not looking real friendly here. This is unmitigated, bad news for consumers..."

Gasoline prices could see the largest spikes because so many refineries in the region could be shut down by flooding, power outages, or both, energy analysts said. The U.S. has ample crude oil supplies, even if major hurricane destruction trims Gulf oil output and foreign imports, but refining capacity is extraordinarily tight. As a result, prices for gasoline, heating oil, jet fuel and other products have flirted with records and could go even higher this week.

"If this thing knocks out significant quantities of refining capacity ... we're going to be in deep, dark trouble," said Ed Silliere, vice president of risk management at Energy Merchant LLC in New York.

Elizabeth
cofounder
Gasoline Boycott Day 3 Labor Day - Sept. 5, 2005
http://www.gasolineboycottday.org