Naturally, drivers are happy that gas prices have rapidly retreated from all-time highs. They may not be quite as pleased when realizing that they’ve never paid more for gas than they did in 2012 as a whole.
Energy
After Sandy: Why Burying the Power Lines Is a Lonely Fight
Power companies have concluded that burying lines is too expensive to contemplate. Maybe they aren’t thinking about things the right way. Here’s one man who’s taking on the fight.
Can Energy-consumption Data Change Consumer Behavior?
Do you know how much energy you consume every 15 minutes? Most would say that’s a hard — if not impossible — question to answer, but San Francisco-based utility provider Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) now has access to that information for 30,000 of its residential customers, thanks to its “SmartMeter” program. PG&E’s …
The Pessimist’s Guide to Surviving the Fiscal Cliff
Whatever the budget deal, it probably won’t be able to prevent sluggish growth and the risk of rising inflation.
Gas Prices Are Finally as ‘Cheap’ as a Year Ago
We’ve come a long way. For much of 2012, drivers have been paying 10¢, sometimes 25¢ more per gallon than the same time in 2011—which was the priciest year ever for gasoline.
Where in the World is Con Ed?
Taking two weeks to restore power is unconscionable. It’s also part of a troublesome trend of more and longer outages that point up major flaws in our national power grid. How long before we bury the power lines?
Gas Prices Take a Huge Post-Sandy Plunge
Amid epically long lines at gas stations and pervasive fear and panic among drivers in areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy, entrepreneurs have jumped into action. Ads on Craigslist reveal that a black market for gas has emerged, …
What Good Is a Gas Station (Or a Generator) If Gas Can’t Be Pumped?
Thankfully, Hurricane Sandy isn’t expected to bring about spiking prices at gas stations. In hard-hit areas, though, the Frankenstorm brought about an even more aggravating situation: It’s made it nearly impossible to buy gasoline period.
Sandy: The Rare Natural Disaster That Isn’t Expected to Boost Gas Prices
Hurricanes are often associated with soaring gas prices, and sometimes even complaints from drivers about price gouging by gas stations as well. Experts, however, say that Sandy’s effects on gas prices will be mild.
On the Great Lakes, a Dry Summer Slows a Recovering Shipping Industry
Low water levels on the Mississippi River, which have snarled cargo traffic and completely halted hundreds of barges at a time, got most of the media attention during this year’s arid summer. But the weird weather is also having …
Why Gas Is Getting Cheaper – and Could Hit $3 a Gallon
Gasoline prices normally rise in late spring and stay high through the summer, but this year they appear likely to keep falling.
Why Vladimir Putin Needs Higher Oil Prices
As oil prices sink, so do the prospects for the Russian economy.