Gas prices in the U.S. by county........
 

http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx

I'm just an average Joe and I can name 5 things that would lower the price of gas in the U.S. and reduce our eliminate our dependance on foreign / Arab oil.

1. Reduce the number of gas / oil formulations from 80 down to about 3. Making zillions of gas formulations is costly and gets passed on to the consumer.
2. Build more oil / gas refineries in the U.S. There haven't been new refineries built in the U.S. since the 70's. Our current refineries can't keep up with the demand.
3. Reduce the taxes on gas. Most people don't realize how much you are paying at the pump in taxes.
4. Drill in A.N.W.A.R. !!! Some say there is an oil reserve in Alaska almost as large as the Saudi Arabian oil reserve. Yes, it would take years before that oil would hit the market, but you've got to start sometime. Also, wouldn't that help reduce oil futures, which are driving up the cost now? The greenies and the dems won't allow Alaska oil exploration.
5. Allow off-shore drilling. Again, like Alaska, there's tons of oil out there and it's untapped. We can have our own oil for years if the democrats and the greenies would just let us tap into it.

There are other solutions too. I don't have a problem with them either. Some like to burn vegetable oil in their cars. Some want to go electric. Some want ethanol. Those are fine. I use ethanol blend once in a while. I just don't believe they are a long term, realistic solution that would fit the American lifestyle and business needs. Americans need to be Americans. To maintain ourselves as the greatest nation on earth, we need to have the freedom to move and travel and do commerce at a reasonable cost. Oil / gas is proven and there is plenty of it. We just need to tap it.

I'm a dem and I'm fine with Alaskan oil drilling... and dems haven't had control of congress in quite a while now anyway.

Heading to the DC forum in 5...4...3...2...1...

Call your congressman.

As I've said before: If oil companies really wanted to drill in ANWAR, the ocean, or the White House lawn, they would simply buy the necessary votes and do so.

Why would they want to get their oil from a stable, plentiful source when they can get it from the most unstable regions on Earth and gouge their customers in the process?

= mumbo jumbo

I've said it before and I'll say it again...

B.O.H.I.C.A. -- Bend Over, Here It Comes Again

Mumbo jumbo?

As in, you didn't "get" my post?

I'd just like to point out how obvious it is that Manhattan Gouges people for gas....fuc4ing bastards.

How is a color blind person supposed to be able to read that?

I just heard on the radio that we all pay $.09 per gallon for oil company profit and about $.40 per gallon in taxes. So who is gouging us?

I get it. You just didn't say much.

Eh, toss in another Congressional Hearing, since we know that Bush isn't about to step up to the plate on this issue, and that should lower gas prices for another 6 months.

Its like magic, everytime a President or Congress starts to take a look at the industry, they lower prices until the issue is forgotten. Just gotta love America's short term memory syndrome. Of course we could threaten to control its costs the same way we do with natural gas, since it is basically a utility, and force them to go through an approval process to raise prices.

I don't disagree with most of that. I'm not sure what you mean by "allow off-shore drilling." We already drill off-shore.

And, unless something's changed, one of the nasty secrets about ethanol is it cannot be transported via pipeline; it has to be transported by truck or rail.

The last vote was basically along party lines with a few defectors on both sides, but the basic stance is that Democrats oppose drilling in ANWR and Republicans favor it.