This AM, Consuela Mack on the national TV program, "Wall St. Journal Reports" featured a web site everyone could use to stay on top of US and Canadian Gas, Diesel and Heating Oil prices.

http://www.gaspricewatch.com/default.asp

First a prediction: I predict GASOLINE WILL FALL 20 cents MIN. by Oct. 15th from the current $1.71 avg. nationally in contrast to the almost universal reports of the "talking heads" on TV. Heating Oil, diesel and Natural Gas have already come down hard.

A fast search with this site could save you and your customers some money (though your mileage may vary):

http://www.gaspricewatch.com/default.asp

This is no small time web site. Rather, with 28,000 volunteer "spotters", the site lists reported prices of fuel and the stations' location including a MAP based on ETAK to the station.

Some details about a non-rigorous test I ran of the site. A "Search by Zip" in a 10 mile radius of my office returned **798 matches found**. A quick check of the diesel pricing (sorting is fast), showed the usual stations with the lowest prices still adhering to the same policy.

While some of the pricing is old (as too be expected), the usual pricing "leaders" show up.

I did a more specific search because as a diesel user, I have been able to isolate out the stations that are consistently low over the years. (Diesel in Texas is tricky because there is little "Heating Oil" used here, must be "fresh" to avoid water and paraffin's and varies 30-50 cents/ gallon off "location average". Branded truck stops are best.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001

Answers

Wow, really going out on a limb there, Charlie, in "predicting" that gas prices will FALL after the summer's over.

You should start one of those "psychic network" web sites.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001

Try 25 Cents min. And stay out of that hot sun in the desert.

Historically on average, Memorial Day is always the highest price.

Use the site and see how badly you are getting RIPPED OFF.

-- Anonymous, June 03, 2001

GUESS MY "PSYCHIC NETWORK" HAS ANOTHER MEMBER: Greenspan: US Gas Prices May Drop

SINGAPORE--U.S. Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan said Monday he was encouraged by signs that gasoline prices in the United States could be coming down in the months ahead.

"We may ... be seeing a flattening of the retail price of gasoline in the U.S. after sharp rises in the last few years," Greenspan said.

Addressing International Monetary Conference delegates by live video link from Washington, Greenspan also said that inflation is currently "not a significant problem" in the U.S. economy.

Greenspan stressed, however, that the Fed is keeping a close watch for signs of potential inflationary pressures. The Fed has cut interest rates five times this year in an effort to boost the struggling U.S. economy, though government officials have remained watchful for any possible surge in inflation. So far it has been kept in check by U.S. businesses' current inability to pass along higher costs to consumers and by the strong U.S. dollar, Greenspan said.

Meanwhile, energy prices seem to be stabilizing, Greenspan said. "Overall energy prices have declined since the first quarter, suggesting some easing of pressure on profit margins," he said.

Greenspan said gasoline inventories are finally beginning to build now that bottlenecks at refineries are subsiding.

However, Greenspan added: "We cannot be certain that the recent spike in gasoline prices in the U.S. is behind us. Nonetheless, it is encouraging that forecasters are calling for prices to decline."

As of last week, the average price of gas in the United States was $1.69 for a gallon of regular unleaded. Prices are up 10 percent from last year and some analysts predict they could reach $2 this summer -and possibly $3 in California and parts of the Midwest.

The IMC conference, which hosts central bankers from around the world, meets through Tuesday.

http://hv.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=005OTo

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

The desert sun doesn't bother me (being Italian and all); how's that air Junior left y'all to breathe?

But hey, there's another Psychic Friend for your Network. Can you just imagine the insight (not to mention the *degrees*) it takes one to figure out that (GASP!) gas prices will go down after summer.

Wish I had thought of that. Oh, wait a minute. I did. [G]

-- Anonymous, June 04, 2001

Charles, have you looked into the corruption involved in Bush and his placement into office? The people he has placed into his administration are getting paybacks for the money they gave him to run? Can't you understand that there is no shortage of power for California, that the generators are taken off line for supposed maintenance off of their normal schedule, conveniently causing these shortages? Who's manipulating all of this? Enron. Enron, who's head is telling the head of FERC what to do? It's so baltently clear, if you would only look at the evedence. I'm not coming up with these ideas out of thin air, corruption is corruption, I don't give a damn who's doing it. Up here in the NorthWest Alcoa is shutting down so they can resell their power on the open market at profits they would not make by staying in business.They bought power at a guarenteed (low)set price, so with the power prices so high they get in on the plunder. Who is tied into Alcoa? Enron. Enron is a broker, if there was no deregulation then there would be no need for Enron. They are just middlemen added in between the power generators and the consumer, their profit comes from providing a service that was never needed when regulations were in place. They are out and out manipulating the power market for profit in such corrupt ways it's almost unbelievable.

Charles, don't keep blindly defending all of the corruption and out right illegal things Bush and his friends are doing. I don't believe this country needs to give hand outs to people who are capable of taking care of themselves, but neither should they hand out the power of corrupt industries to crush and destroy those who are unable to take care of themselves, or those who do take care of themselves but just don't work in jobs that pay a lot of maoney. Someone had to do those jobs, why should we make their lives a living hell just for the corrupt profit of a few. Honest competition is one thing, buying the government and placing in a stooge to remove the laws which protect us from this kind of corruption is another.

Charles, please open your eyes. There is a reason why pollution laws were enacted, it wasn't done on just a whim. When your body is ravaged with cancer, or someone you love has a body ravaged with cancer, you might then ask why is it legal for carcinigens to be released in the air you have no choice but to breath. You don't have to back Bush just because he is from where you are. Open your eyes and LOOK at what is going on. I didn't switch from being republican to democrat on a whim, they gave me no choice when I started seeing the corruption and inhuman things they were doing.

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001

PUHLEESE. This is the flip side of the 'CONSPIRACY THEORIES" that were spread about the 'spin meisters' all conspiring to cover up y2k problems.

This is UNWORTHY OF CHERRI. so I have to think it was posted by one of the Green Terroristas from Oregon who continue to spread such BULL SHIT.

ENRON IS ONLY ONE OF MANY COMPANIES IN ENERGY and they are all DWARFED BY ***OPEC***.

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001

ON THE OTHER HAND,,,,FOR A ***REAL*** CONSIRACY THEORY TRY THIS:

THE ENTIRE GREEN MOVEMENT IS COLLABORATING WITH THE 'RULERS' AND THE ENERGY INTERESTS. BY PREVENTING NUKE POWER (SAFEST AFTER HYDRO), BLOCKING HYDRO TO SAVE THE FUCKING SALMON EGGS AND PREVENTING COAL AND OIL FIRED PLANTS ......IN 'OUR NEIGHBORHOODS (NIMBY CALIFORNIA FOR EXAMPLE)......THIS CONSIRACY HAS ENABLED THE RISE OF ALL ENERGY PRICES FROM $3 /BARREL TO THE CURRENT $28 LITE SWEET / 26 BRENT SO YOU ALL CAN THANK THE TREE HUGGERS AND THEIR FUNDERS (THE MULTI- BILLION DOLLAR FOUNDATIONS SET UP BY 'THE RULERS* (FORD FOUNDATION IS A GOOD EXAMPLE)....FOR THE "PRICE AT THE PUMP AND METER**

COMING SOON, "HOW THE FALLING PRICE OF ENERGY ENABLED THE RULERS TO PANIC WALL ST. INTO SENDING THE DOW TO 15,000 (PREDICTED BY YARDENI AS PART OF THE **RULERS*** Y2K CONSPIRACY). MORE AVAILABLE ON THE DOOMZIES BE DUMB.ConJobS.ORG SITE SOON. THATS ALL FOR NOW........BUT REMEMBER....THE WILDEST, CRAZIEST SCHEMES ARE THE COVERUPS FOR WHAT IS REALLY GOING ON. OR NOT OR WHO CARES? TTFN AND ESAD

-- Anonymous, June 05, 2001