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Showing posts with label gasoline. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gasoline. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

As Gas Prices Rise, Traffic Accidents Decrease

Editor Note:  What an interesting consequence.......

Newswise — As gasoline prices reach $4 a gallon throughout the nation, pain at the pump seems to have at least one silver lining for drivers.

A study by Mississippi State's Social Science Research Center indicates that rising gas prices create an accompanying decline in all traffic accidents, including drunk-driving crashes.

Researcher Guangqing Chi, an assistant professor of sociology at the university, recently published his findings in the Journal of Safety Research and Accident Analysis and Prevention.

An SSRC demographer, Chi examined a range of factors related to driving-related accidents in the state, including age, gender and race. The study analyzed total traffic crashes between April 2004 and December 2008, comparing gas prices to traffic safety statistics.

"The results suggest that prices have both short-term and intermediate-term effects on reducing traffic crashes," he reports in the journal article.

Among other points, the research also shows gas prices having a short-term impact on crashes involving younger drivers and intermediate-term impact related to older drivers and men.

Chi said short-term impact refers to immediate effects, for example how a current month's average gasoline prices affect the same month's traffic crashes. Intermediate-term impact refers to effects over a one-year subsequent time period.

While previous research linked traffic-related fatalities to gas price fluctuations, limited research has shown the effects of prices on all traffic accidents. No research previously examined the link between drunk-driving crashes and gas prices, Chi observed.

His research also found significant connections between gas prices and a reduced frequency of alcohol-related crashes.

Other researchers contributing to the study include SSRC director Arthur Cosby; David Levinson, an associate professor of civil engineering at the University of Minnesota; and Mohammed Quddus, a senior lecturer in transportation studies at the University of Loughborough, United Kingdom.

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Thursday, October 21, 2010

Kroger and Shell Team Up in the Greater Metro Atlanta and Northern Georgia Area to Help Customers Save at the Pump

/PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co., the nation's largest traditional supermarket retailer, is excited to team up with Shell, the number 1 selling gasoline brand in the U.S., to give metro Atlanta and Northern Georgia area customers the chance to earn fuel savings at the pump. The exclusive alliance provides Kroger shoppers the opportunity to save on fuels by using their Kroger Plus Card.

Beginning October 25, every time Kroger customers in the area make a purchase with their Kroger Plus Card, they not only save money on their grocery bill but also earn Fuel Points that can be used at the pump. Kroger customers have the opportunity to redeem 100 points per visit to save 10 cents per gallon instantly at Kroger Fuel Centers and now at participating Shell stations. This offer is valid up to 35 gallons of fuel per purchase.

"Adding value and savings is an important part of Kroger's commitment to providing our customers the best possible shopping experience," said Glynn Jenkins, director of communications and public relations for Kroger's Atlanta Division. "In today's economic times, it's more important than ever for companies like Kroger and Shell to join forces to offer our customers optimum savings and rewards."

"We are excited to be teaming up with Kroger to help fill customers' gas tanks for less," said Dan Little, North America fuels marketing manager for Shell Oil Products U.S. "With Kroger stores throughout the metro Atlanta area and Northern Georgia, and conveniently located participating Shell stations nearby, it's never been easier for customers to save on high-quality Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines."

Customers earn one Fuel Point for every dollar spent on most items when they use their Kroger Plus Card during shopping trips at participating Kroger stores. To help shoppers build up their savings quickly, additional Fuel Points can be earned by purchasing prescriptions or gift cards at Kroger. Customers earn 50 Fuel Points for each filled eligible prescription and two Fuel Points for every dollar spent on third-party gift cards from Kroger's in-store Gift Card Malls. Shoppers can visit any Kroger store for more details. Fuel Points will be automatically added to Kroger Plus Card accounts and will be reflected on customers' grocery receipt after every purchase. Customers also have the option of looking online on their "My Kroger" page at www.kroger.com to check how many Fuel Points they have earned. Fuel Points must be used during the month they are earned or by the end of the following calendar month.

Customers may redeem their Fuel Points at Kroger Fuel Centers or participating Shell stations by using their Kroger Plus Card at the pump, manually entering their card number or entering their alternate ID, which will initiate the fuel savings. Customers with questions about the fuels rewards program can call Kroger Customer Service at 1-800-576-4377, or they can contact Shell Customer Service at 1-888-GO-SHELL for assistance identifying participating Shell locations.

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Friday, March 6, 2009

Shell Rolls Out All-New Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines With Free Fill-Ups

/PRNewswire/ -- This morning at Shell stations across the U.S., consumers received a free fill-up with Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines, a new fuel containing a unique, patented cleaning system designed to seek and destroy engine "gunk" (carbon deposits) in all three grades of gasoline. To celebrate the debut of the new fuel, Shell held seven simultaneous events - Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasoline Spring Clean-up Giveaways - where free fuel was available from 7 a.m. - 9 a.m. to drivers.

Consumers lined up in their vehicles for an opportunity to try the new fuel (at no cost) in top commuter markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Washington (District of Columbia), Seattle, Houston, Jacksonville, and Cincinnati. Throughout the week of March 2, local radio stations hinted to participating Shell gasoline stations in their respective regions. This morning, on-air personalities finally directed listeners to a selected Shell gasoline station in their area, and throngs of consumers followed.

"With Spring approaching, people sometimes forget that their vehicle engines need a 'spring clean-up' too," said Karen Wildman, Shell U.S. brand and communications manager. "These gasoline giveaways are a great way to introduce the new Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines to drivers and to showcase how the gasolines clean and protect critical engine parts."

NITROGEN ENRICHED FUEL SPARKS SPRING CLEAN-UP

With spring on its way, there's no better time to get a head start on cleaning vehicle engines with Shell Nitrogen Enriched Gasolines. Nitrogen is a key ingredient of the gasoline's active cleaning molecule, which is significantly more stable at higher temperatures common in modern engines, such as direct fuel-injection engines. The increased stability ensures that the molecule can work under much tougher engine conditions by resisting thermal breakdown better than conventional cleaning additives.

Shell developed the new fuel with the consumer in mind, knowing that in today's challenging economy consumers are looking to preserve one of their largest investments - their vehicles. They also are looking to get the most out of every drop of gasoline. Shell worked very closely with automotive manufacturers to gain insight into current and future engine technologies. These insights along with fuels technology leadership and a strong research and development program help Shell continually improve its products.

Additionally, the new formula is proven to prevent build-up of gunk more effectively than gasolines containing only the minimum amount of cleaning agents as required by the EPA. The new formula is certified to meet and exceed TOP TIER Gasoline Detergent standards - voluntary standards designated by some of the world's top automakers (Audi, BMW, GM, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen) to try to raise the bar on fuel quality beyond minimum government criteria.

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Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Biofuels Can Provide Viable, Sustainable Solution to Reducing Petroleum Dependence, say Sandia Researchers

An in-depth study by Sandia National Laboratories and General Motors Corp. has found that plant and forestry waste and dedicated energy crops could sustainably replace nearly a third of gasoline use by the year 2030.

The goal of the 90-Billion Gallon Biofuel Deployment Study was to assess whether and how a large volume of cellulosic biofuel could be sustainably produced, assuming technical and scientific progress continues at expected rates. The study was conducted over a period of nine months.

Researchers assessed the feasibility, implications, limitations, and enablers of annually producing 90 billion gallons of ethanol — sufficient to replace more than 60 billion of the estimated 180 billion gallons of gasoline expected to be used annually by 2030. Ninety billion gallons a year exceeds the U.S. Department of Energy’s goal for ethanol production established in 2006.

The 90 Billion Gallon Study assumes 75 billion gallons would be ethanol made from nonfood cellulosic feedstocks and 15 billion gallons from corn-based ethanol. The study examined four sources of biofuels: agricultural residue, such as corn stover and wheat straw; forest residue; dedicated energy crops, including switchgrass; and short rotation woody crops, such as willow and poplar trees. It examines the costs of producing, harvesting, storing and transporting these sources to newly built biorefineries.

Key findings

Using a newly developed tool known as the Biofuels Deployment Model, or BDM, Sandia researchers determined that 21 billion gallons of cellulosic ethanol could be produced per year by 2022 without displacing current crops. The Renewable Fuels Standard, part of the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act, calls for ramping up biofuels production to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022.

The 90 Billion Gallon Study, which focused only on starch-based and cellulosic ethanol, found that an increase to 90 billion gallons of ethanol could be sustainably achieved by 2030 within real-world economic and environmental parameters.

Other findings:

Continued support of R&D and initial commercialization is critical because sustained technological progress and commercial validation is a prerequisite to affordably producing the large volumes of ethanol considered in this study.

Policy incentives such as a federal cap and trade program, carbon taxes, excise tax credits and loan guarantees for cellulosic biofuels are important to mitigate the risk of oil market volatility.
The domestic investment for biofuels production is projected to be virtually the same as the investment required to sustain long-term domestic petroleum production.

Cellulosic biofuels could compete without incentives with oil priced at $90 per barrel, assuming a reduction in total costs as advanced biofuels technologies mature.

Large-scale cellulosic biofuel production could be achieved at or below current water consumption levels of petroleum fuels from on-shore oil production and refining.

The industrial processes by which nonfood forms of biomass are converted into sugars suitable for production of biofuels were a focus of the study.

Sandia’s analysis also included land use, water availability, energy used to produce cellulosic biomass, transportation of feedstocks and other potential leverage points for the development and use of cellulosic biofuels. In conducting its research, Sandia utilized models that examined current and future technologies for development of ethanol.

Future enhancements to Sandia’s BDM are planned, contingent on additional partnerships. Such improvements to the current software tool, says Sandia business development associate Carrie Burchard, would provide an even more comprehensive systems understanding of the biofuels industry.

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Tuesday, September 30, 2008

ExxonMobil's Methanol to Gasoline (MTG) Technology Selected for Synthesis Energy Systems’ Coal to Liquids Projects

BUSINESS WIRE --ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company (EMRE) today (September 29, 2008) announced that it has entered into an agreement with Synthesis Energy Systems (SES) that provides SES the option to execute up to fifteen Methanol to Gasoline technology licenses in their global operations. SES has chosen to assign the first license to a project near Benwood, West Virginia.

This approximate 7,000 barrel per calendar day unit will be based on commercially proven MTG technology which incorporates improvements since the technology was originally commercialized by ExxonMobil 20 years ago in New Zealand.

MTG converts crude methanol directly to low sulfur, low benzene gasoline that can be sold directly or blended with conventional refinery gasoline. Although the original application of the MTG technology processed methanol from natural gas, the same technology can be used for methanol from other sources such as coal, petcoke or biomass. The SES projects will gasify the coal, convert the synthetic gas to methanol, and then convert the methanol to gasoline via the MTG process. Conversion of coal to gasoline through gasification and methanol conversion is one way to significantly reduce the potential pollutants from coal, including the reduction of SOx emissions and the capture of CO2.

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Colonial Pipeline Returns to Pre-Hurricane Delivery Rates

BUSINESS WIRE --Colonial Pipeline yesterday achieved the same flow-rates for gasoline deliveries as the pipeline managed before Hurricanes Gustav and Ike hit the Gulf Coast refining region earlier this month.

After each of the hurricanes, Colonial’s pipeline quickly returned to full capability. However, supply shortages nonetheless occurred as a result of damage and shutdowns suffered by Louisiana and Texas oil refineries impacted by the hurricanes.

The refineries’ reduced output has resulted in market shortages and gas lines in many markets served by pipeline systems in the Southeast. Colonial is making every effort to support its shippers as they try to restore market stability.

The Colonial Pipeline system begins in Houston and crosses the South and East before terminating at the New York harbor. Colonial is a common carrier, meaning it does not own the fuels it transports but delivers them at the direction of its customers.

Deliveries within specific, local markets are determined by the terminal operators Colonial serves.

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Gasoline Shortage or Supply Problems?

Note: If there is no shortage, why the spike in gasoline prices? Read on to find out why.


Shortages, Price Hikes Follow Ike in Southeast

By Joe Benton
ConsumerAffairs.com

September 16, 2008

Gasoline stations throughout the Southeast and are reporting sporadic shortages and price spikes as the surge in average pump prices leveled off at $3.854 a gallon......

Read the story.

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Increasing Fuel Supply in the Aftermath of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike

(BUSINESS WIRE) --Today (September 15, 2008), President Bush discussed Federal actions his Administration is taking to increase fuel supply in the aftermath of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. These storms have disrupted our energy sources, and the Federal government is leading the effort to minimize the impact on American families. This recovery effort will take time, but the Administration is acting quickly to help the millions of residents in Texas and Louisiana who have been affected by Hurricane Ike. We are coordinating with State and local governments to help restore power, remove debris, and get water and sewage plants back up and running. Tomorrow, President Bush will visit Texas to support the rebuilding and recovery efforts following the storms.

President Bush Has Directed His Administration To Take The Necessary Steps To Ensure An Adequate Supply Of Energy

The Energy Department stands ready to release crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) when and where it is necessary to ensure refineries are capable of maintaining operations. In the wake of Hurricane Gustav, Secretary Bodman released crude oil from the SPR. This oil was released at the request of two companies - Marathon Petroleum Company (500,000 barrels total; two deliveries of 250,000 each) and Placid Oil (130,000 barrels total). To date, these three deliveries of emergency exchange SPR oil are complete. Yesterday, the Energy Department approved the release of an additional 309,000 barrels of crude oil to two companies - ConocoPhillips (200,000 barrels total) and Placid Oil (109,000 barrels).

The Minerals Management Service (MMS) is working with the energy industry and U.S. Coast Guard to obtain data from airplane overflights and MMS helicopter overflights. Following initial assessments, industry personnel are able to return to drilling rigs and production platforms for more detailed assessment, for repair, or to restart operations.

The Energy Department has deployed personnel to assist with local power companies, local authorities, and State authorities to help get electricity functioning and to ensure the repair and continuity of oil and gas pipelines and enable refineries to restart.

The EPA has waived certain fuel requirements in order to make it easier to use the supplies we have domestically and increase flexibility in what we can import. This waives requirements for gasoline sold or distributed in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, part of Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

The Federal Government Is Carefully Monitoring Fuel Prices To Make Certain American Consumers Are Treated Fairly At The Pump

The Energy Department has opened its price gouging hotline (1-800-224-3301) and its web site (gaswatch.energy.gov) for consumers. The Energy Information Agency is tracking inventories and prices on a regional basis, comparing those figures with past data, and sharing the results with the Energy Department, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and States in the region.

* The FTC is monitoring gasoline prices and intensifying its scrutiny, especially in the affected area. The FTC has also posted a new consumer alert on its web site (www.ftc.gov) to draw attention to its educational materials on how to be smart buyers of gasoline and how to avoid scams that seek to exploit victims of natural disasters.

The Federal Government Is Taking Coordinated Action To Provide Open Channels Of Transportation For Energy Supplies

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Coast Guard worked together to reopen the Port of Pascagoula, Mississippi, to vessel traffic. Oil tankers are currently limited to a 30-foot depth, but draft limitations are expected to be increased to 36 feet in the near future.

The Coast Guard is working to repair the Aids to Navigation - lighted structures, beacons, day markers, range lights, fog signals, landmarks, or floating buoys used to help boaters plan trips and safely navigate waterways - located in the Houston Ship Channel that have been damaged or destroyed by the storms. The Coast Guard is working to reopen the Houston Ship Channel in time to meet the crude oil needs of the refineries once they are operating again.

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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

New Survey Finds Georgians Support Increased Access to Domestic Oil and Natural Gas Resources

PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Georgians are concerned about the price of gasoline and the majority of them support increased access to domestic oil and natural gas resources, a new survey finds.

"This research confirms what every recent poll has shown. Georgians, like Americans everywhere, are feeling the crush of high gasoline costs and support increasing domestic supplies of oil and natural gas," said Ric Cobb, executive director of the Georgia Petroleum Council (GPC). "Sadly, some in Congress are ignoring this groundswell and blocking a balanced energy policy that includes development of America's vast natural resources, along with more conservation, energy efficiency and increased supplies of all sources of energy."

The poll was conducted by telephone between July 10 and July 27, 2008 by Harris Interactive and commissioned by API. The survey of 501 registered Georgia voters who are likely to vote in the upcoming presidential election found 66 percent of those surveyed said they somewhat or strongly support increased access to domestic oil and natural gas resources. Only 23 percent of respondents said they opposed increased access. An overwhelming 97 percent said they are somewhat or very concerned about the price of gasoline.

"America's oil and natural gas companies are ready to work with government at all levels to enact a comprehensive energy plan that includes increasing domestic supplies while protecting our environment," said Cobb. "It's time for Congress to lift the ban on offshore drilling."

Currently, Congress is blocking the exploration and development of abundant oil and natural gas reserves beneath non-park federal lands and coastal waters. Advanced technology means America's oil and natural gas companies can efficiently explore for these resources while protecting the environment. Based on federal government data, these resources could provide enough oil to fuel more than 65 million cars for 60 years and enough natural gas to heat 60 million homes for 160 years.

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