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Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time

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31–40 of 194 posts

Re: Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time

#31

Remember when the common knowledge was that war was good for the economy?

That needs an update: Winning wars, if you win in a clean and non-Pyrrhic way, is usually good for the economy.

Losing at war is universally bad. And long stalemated forever wars can be just as bad for both sides.

Re: Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time

#32

It seems one way Iran fights the US asymmetrically is by harming the Federal financial picture with endlessly higher rates + borrowing costs. If this keeps happening month-after-month, year-after-year, we're really going to feel the squeeze. Treasury has already tried to reassure markets and failed Add to this other trade war nonsense...

This would not be happening if the USA had not launched an attack on Iran

This was the desired effect though, as higher oil prices means more profit for US based oil producers. I'm sure that will trickle down any time now.

Re: Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time

#33
post #12

In the late 90's/ early 2000 Diesel was about the same cost as regular gas and then at some point its about the same cost as premium gas. Is there any reason why Diesel costs more? I was always under the impression that it was a less-refined fuel therefore cheaper.

I have only a passing interest in this but, basically, different oil fields have different percentages of different weight hydrocarbons. The oil can be refined with catalytic cracking to make more gas / kerosene / whatever. As I understand it, we're using "lighter" oil and we're focusing on making gas, so the percentage diesel in the crack spread is lower. So, there's less diesel coming out of the refineries.

This started, I believe when fracking became a major thing (the late 2000s), because shale oils tends to have less heavy hydrocarbons then the old wells.

Re: Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time

#34
post #19
post #12

In the late 90's/ early 2000 Diesel was about the same cost as regular gas and then at some point its about the same cost as premium gas. Is there any reason why Diesel costs more? I was always under the impression that it was a less-refined fuel therefore cheaper.

Supply and demand? Over here in Germany, Diesel was cheaper than (any kind of) gasoline for a long time, but that has also changed recently (Gemini says since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, so another thing to blame Putin for), now it's about 5% more expensive...

...because Diesel is taxed differently than standard gas/Benzin there...

EDIT: meaning "less taxes"

Re: Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time

#36
post #21
post #12

In the late 90's/ early 2000 Diesel was about the same cost as regular gas and then at some point its about the same cost as premium gas. Is there any reason why Diesel costs more? I was always under the impression that it was a less-refined fuel therefore cheaper.

I thought I heard once it was because diesel might be more polluting than regular gas and thus has extra taxes on it? I could be entirely wrong though.

You are not required to repeat uncited and likely incorrect suppositions.

Re: Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time

#38

If oil starts ruining the financial picture on top of just the...global welfare of every living human picture, then maybe, just maybe people will actually give up their addiction.

You think the planet is gonna run out of oil before it runs out of water.... interesting.

Re: Diesel prices in U.S. top $6 a gallon for first time

#39
post #12

In the late 90's/ early 2000 Diesel was about the same cost as regular gas and then at some point its about the same cost as premium gas. Is there any reason why Diesel costs more? I was always under the impression that it was a less-refined fuel therefore cheaper.

Probably doesn’t help that the ethanol that gets (increasingly) blended with gas is pretty cheap while the seed oils blended with diesel aren’t.

And the ethanol makes the fuel less valuable (energy reduction per litre) moreso than biodiesel.

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