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9 years ago
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Increasing Fuel Prices in the U.S.
Why the Price of Gas is Rising
Our increasing fuel costs here in the United States are mainly due to the rising price of crude oil.
Crude oil is a natural form of oil found in the ground, and it must be refined into gasoline. As of January, one gallon of crude oil costs $2.57, making up 76% of our cost of $3.38 per gallon, a national average in January.
Causes of increased crude oil prices? China and other countries have increased their demands. In addition, the instability in the Middle East means unpredictable or less output from Libya and Iran, who produce a majority of the crude oil. Less production of crude oil means higher prices for us at the pump.
World countries and corporations that sell crude oil benefit when the price is high. In 2010, about 49% of the oil used by the U.S. was imported from foreign countries. Read FAQs provided by the U.S. Energy Administration, and also what the US Energy Administration gives as breakdown on what makes up the rest of the price. Click here for those details.
What you can do? Avoid idling. It gets you zero miles per gallon. Don't be aggressive, brake hard, or rapidly accelerate. This can lower mileage by 33%. Watch your speed: every 5 mph over 60 mph, is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon. Air conditioning “economy” and "recirculation" settings are helpful and allow reduction of chilling the hot outside air.
Check out the following links:
Information provided by USA.gov.
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