Gasoline
Venezuelan oil strike continues
“The shutdown has crippled the nation’s vital oil output and shipments and stoked fears of violence”
Republican urges release of stockpiled oil
“Two large U.S. refineries will run out of crude oil supplies by the end of the month unless some stockpiled crude was released to make up for the lack of Venezuelan supplies, Louisiana Rep. Billy Tauzin said in a letter to Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham.”
California gas prices could spike due to ethanol switch
This increase is NOT due to Venezuela, but due to California switching from MTBE to ethanol as a gasoline additive in the next few weeks.
I wonder what the coming Iraq war will do to gas prices. I drive a gas-sipping gas / electric Toyota Prius hybrid that gets 46 mpg in the city. A great little car. Among other features, it is self-recharging (no plugging in needed) and has an all-digital dashboard readout. Toyota plans to have all their cars be hybrids by 2012.