Gasoline Prices: Is $4.00/ Gallon Good or Bad for America? The world economies experienced a decline in oil and gas prices starting at the end of 2014. Along with the economic repercussions we are now facing in 2016 from the price drop, economic analysts are faced with a question- Is $4.00 a gallon gas good or bad for America? In the past, Americans have had to deal with the effects and financial burden of high gas prices that at times hovered in the upper three-dollar range and even breached four dollars a gallon. Based on the past impact of these high gas prices and the trickledown effect they caused, I believe four- dollar a gallon gas to be overall bad for America. This research paper intends to take a look into the effects the effects of high gas prices and the pros and cons of four-dollar a gallon gas. First we will take a look at historical gas prices in the United States and what caused the prices to get to where they were. With the recent drop in gas prices over the last two years, many people are wondering how close to historical lows are we? Flash back to 1918, according to Inflation Data.com (2016), the nominal gas price (actual price paid at the pump at the time) was twenty-five cents per gallon. However, if you look at the inflation adjusted price (the price paid if you were to use today’s dollars) it was actually $3.92 per gallon. $3.92 might seem high, but you must remember that the purchasing power of the dollar has drastically fallen over the last 100 years. The price was high mostly because gasoline was just entering commercial production. Then as refining capacity improved, prices began to fall, both nominally and in inflation adjusted terms (Inflation Data, 2016). Flash forward to 1979. The Iranian revolution ... ... middle of paper ... ...lace give big oil tax breaks and subsidies, further increasing their wealth and profits. In my view, the cons far outweigh the pros to the question: Is four-dollar a gallon gas good or bad for America? I believe it is bad for America, as it puts too big of a burden on consumers and pushes the economy towards a recession. I believe there can be balance to where both consumers and big oil can achieve equilibrium. As an undergrad, I estimate this equilibrium to be roughly $2.75- $3.00 a gallon, along with oil between $90- $100 a barrel. Gas prices at four-dollars a gallon have thus far proven to be unsustainable, realized by depressions, recessions, and now over supply. When oil and gas prices crash and are low, like in today’s environment, a new question arises- Are historically low oil and gas prices good or bad for America? And that question is for another paper.
Gasoline is one of the many conversation starters anywhere you go. People have different opinions on why gasoline prices are fluctuating at such a rapid pace. Some Americans have chosen a way of thinking towards the prices. Whether it be making up rumors or just plainly trash talking towards our government. You make ask yourself the same questions many economist do, why has the price of oil been dropping so fast?
In 2004, crude oil producers around the world expected a 1.5% growth in the world’s demand for crude oil. The actual growth rate was more than double the projections at 3.3%. This growth was due to rapidly industrializing of foreign countries such as, China and India. Therefore the lack of crude oil affected the supply of gasoline to consumers at the pump.
People need oil for daily life and work. Since World War II, oil had caused many serious problems in United States and throughout the world. Remarkably, economic and social problems were heightened by the emerging energy crisis. By 1974, the United States gained a third of its oil by importing from the Middle East.[ James Oakes, et al. Of The People: A History Of The United States (Oxford University Press, 2011), 881.] When the heavy war between Israel and Arabia erupted, the United States was not able to gain enough petroleum because it supported Israel. To show the dissatisfaction with the United States’ support to Israel, Arab members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries even raised oil prices. “Overnight, OPEC raised the price of its oil from $3 to $5.11/By ”[ Merrill, Karen R.. The oil crisis of 1973-1974: a brief history with documents. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2007, 22.] Not surprisingly, the United States was strongly affected by the oil shortage and the the high price of oil. Homes and businesses could not easily solve the serious problem. Drastic protests occurred in many states such as Arkansas, New York, and Florida because a huge number of drivers could not accept the high price of gasoline.[ Merrill, Karen R.. The oil crisis of 1973-1974: a brief history with documents, 1.] Transportation was decreased in order to use less oil. Faced to the great challenge, several presidents analyzed the seriousness about the oil crisis and provided effective ways of reducing the use of oil.
The gas prices started dropping so low that people are available to fill up their cars with gas. There is a good side of these gas prices going down but there is also a bad side. We can say that the good side is people are actually excited because they spend less money on gas and have extra money to spend it on other things. The bad side of the gas price is people are losing their jobs and they sometimes they can't afford for their bills or as simple as not being able to eat.
For over 100 years, the automobile industry has relied on gasoline as its main source of fuel. Gasoline is a colorless, highly flammable substance used in internal combustion engines. It is a fossil fuel made from crude oil, a natural gas formed from the remains of ancient plants and animals (Webster‘s Dictionary). Gasoline has positively influenced our way of life by providing convenient, on demand transportation. It has created a global economy that moves people and goods faster and more easily than ever imagined (Povey 12). Although a seemingly perfect substance, it has unprecedented flaws. The tremendous political, environmental, and economic problems resultant from the excessive use of gasoline leads to the conclusion that the automobile industry should not continue to rely on this source of fuel.
Since the 19th century, gas has gradually become a necessity to mankind. It has been used for lighting our houses, to produce heat, to cook our food and to run our vehicles. As time passed, the price of gas has known many changes in Montreal. By the year of 2008 the price was relatively low, but suddenly became very high in 2014. This year in Montreal, the prices are as low as 3.4 US $/G. When considering the previously mentioned facts, we ask ourselves why the price of gas is low and what are the factors fluctuating its price. The main factor responsible of gas price changes is the cost of oil.
Every year the demand for oil grows, and the amount the U.S. produces decreases while the amount of oil America imports increases. In 1994 the oil imported from OPEC members was about 1,400,000 thousand barrels in 2008 it was about 2,200,000 thousand barrels. The amount of American oil imported from non-OPEC members was roughly 1,700,000 thousand of barrels to 3,000,000 thousand barrels. According to eia.doe.gov the U.S. imported roughly between 4,000,000 and 4,500,000 thousands of barrels of oil in 2010. All this boiled down means that the U.S. imports more than half of all its oil. And at the current rate the U.S. spends roughly $13 million dollars on oil per hour. Furthering its impact on our economy the NRDC found that roughly 1/5 of our trade deficit stems from imported oil. Every day the U.S. loses $390 million to foreign oil, money that could be spent on the United States’ infrastructure, or helping to get the U.S. out of its recession. This is money that is most likely not going to be reinvested in America and will only further our deficit. Another problem outside our spending is the fact that we are importing from some highly unstable nations...
To understand the increase in gas prices, one must first identify the distribution of dollars paid per gallon at the pump. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (eia) in 2010, the annual average paid at the pump consisted of 68% crude oil, 7% refining, 10% distribution and marketing, and 15% taxes (see Fig.1). This shows an increase of crude oil over the 2000-2009 average of 51%. (e. I. Administration)
The U.S dependency on foreign oil presents many negative impacts on the nation’s economy. The cost for crude oil represents about 36% of the U.S balance of payment deficit. (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011). This does not affect directly the price of gas being paid by consumers, but the money paid circulates in the country’s economy and affects areas such as; the job market and production facilities. (Wright, R. T., & Boorse, D. F. 2011). In addition to the rise in prices, another negative aspect of the U.S dependency on foreign crude oil is the risk of supply disruptions caused by political instability of the Middle East. According to Rebecca Lefton and Daniel J. Weiss in the Article “Oil Dependence Is a Dangerous Habit” in 2010, the U.S imported 4 million barrels of oil a day or 1.5 billion barrels per year from “dangerous or unstable” countries. The prices in which these barrels are being purchased at are still very high, and often lead to conflict between the U.S and Middle Eastern countries. Lefton and Weiss also add that the U.S reliance on oil from countries ...
The article by Mike Moffatt shows the price elasticity of demand for gasoline. According to Molly Espey the average price elasticity of demand for gasoline in the short- run is-0.26 and -0.58 In the long-run, which is a 10% raise in the price of gasoline lowers quantity demanded by 2.6% in the short- run and 5.8% in the long- run.Also, there are a studies were conducted by Phil Goodwin, Joyce Dargay and Mark Hanly at review of income and price elastics in the demand for road traffic and each of them has different study. Furthermore, the realized elasticities depend on factors such as the timeframe and locations that the study covers. If the gas taxes will rise, will cause consumption to decrease.
Since fuel is regarded as a necessity, the increase of fuel prices would have a certain impact on the Australian economy. This will have an effect on a variety of economic aspects which include; demand and supply, elasticity, market equilibrium and disposable income. The goal of this analysis is to discuss the effect that the rise in petrol, holding all things constant (Ceteris Paribus), will have on the Australian economy.
b. Opportunities and Threats: The increase in fuel prices is likely to continue into the distant future, requiring either reduced services to control costs or new technologies to accommodate. The threat of low cost, flexible companies entering the markets in a variety of places, cutting into market share in numerous small areas, taken as a whole, threatens to harm larger c...
The recent surge in the cost of heating oil, diesel fuel, and gasoline in the United States has had significant impact on many sectors of the U.S. economy, but most importantly it has had quite a devastating affect on the trucking industry. This is important due to the fact that nearly “70% of U.S. communities rely solely on trucking for their supplies” (“ATA” 23). If the government continues it’s trend of non-intervention and refuses to place pressure on OPEC, the prices will continue to soar well over the two-dollar mark, and cause the trucking industry as a whole to shut down bringing the U.S. economy to a grinding halt.
Many factors determine the supply and demand of oil in the short-term and long-term range. First, conflicts that occur in the world influence the supply and demand of oil. For instance, the onset of the United States of America Civil War brought about a surge in prices and demands of oil. It amplified the effects on the oil market by the cut-off of supplies of turpentine from the South and the introduction of a tax on alcohol, which rose from 20¢/gallon in 1862 to $2/gallon by 1865, in contrast to the 10¢/gallon tax on products derived from petroleum. Assuming a yield of about 20 gallons of oil per barrel of crude, each 10¢/gallon tax disparity on petroleum product cost of two dollars per barrel, which was a competitive advantage for oil. Because of this, the tax eliminated alcohol as a competitor to petroleum. As a result, oil production declined after 1862, even as new demand pressures grew. Other conflicts that affected the supply and demand of oil include the OPEC embargo that happened between 1973 and 1974, when Syria and Egypt attacked Israel. Others are the Iraq-Iran war between 1981 and 1986, the first P...
Gas has many effects in our society, and some of these effects have a negative impact in our life. Our daily lives depend on gas, when we go to work, school and going out. We use gas for electricity, cars and many other things. The effects of gas are direct and very affecting in our lives because of the many forms it can be used in. There are many negative effects of rising gas cutting back in vacation time, prices of everything is going up “inflation”, car companies making more efficient cars.