I just went out to get some Chinese food and decided to top off my tank. First station, a Citgo, had no gas. Second station, a Mobil just across the street, had a tanker hooking up to the ground tanks so I pulled in. Attendant said they were out of gas. I pointed to the tanker and he said "it'll be a 1/2 hour before he's finished and we're only getting 1/2 a load since the Mobil in the next town over is also out".

Okaaayyy I says to myself. So I drive about a mile to a Texaco. They are out of everything except regular. I asked the attendant how they were holding up since other stations were out and he said "we'll be running out ourselves if we don't get resupplied tonite".

Folks, this is NOT NOT NOT normal for my area. I don't know what 'it' is, but 'it' is NOT looking good...

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), January 22, 2000

Answers

to the top...

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), January 22, 2000.

May I ask what city in New Jersey you are talking about?

-- David Whitelaw (dande53484@aol.com), January 22, 2000.

I'm near Westwood in Bergen County.

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), January 22, 2000.

THANKS TECH32......for giving us this information!!!.guess the rest of us better be getting our tanks FILLED UP!!!!!....gonna be a L-O-N-G WINTER!

-- mutter (murmur@ya.com), January 22, 2000.

I would call that very strange.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), January 22, 2000.

After reading the series of reports on oil this week, I decided to go to my regular truck stop to top off my tanks. I had been using up my stored diesel ever since the rollover, so was not familar with the current prices. The price for diesel was $1.44 9/10's, the highest I have ever paid, and the clerkl confirmed that this was highest he had ever seen. This truck stop is along the 94 highway from Illinois to Wisconsin, a very heavy interstate. Nearly all homes use natural gas to heat (propane if rural) and very few still use heating oil. So, for us, the main use for diesel is road and farm use.

-- Sure M. Hopeful (Hopeful@future.com), January 22, 2000.

Preparing in 1998 and 1999 was good common sence. Preparing now is good common sence. Got propane. Got deisel. Got charcoal. Got other fuels. Got light. Got food. No regrets.

-- Ed (ed@lizzardranch.com), January 22, 2000.

Thankyou for the information. We here in Washington State have seen no shortages. However we do not have the population density you have on the east coast. I think our prices have stayed relatively the same.

-- David Whitelaw (dande53484@aol.com), January 22, 2000.

Somewhere in those posts about the Venezuela oil refinery it said that that gasoline-or was it diesel-or both? - went to the eastern coast of the USA; 17% of our national oil or so. But that can't be the problem in just 5 days can it?

-- carolyn (carolyn@luvmyhub.com), January 22, 2000.

Yeah the gas stations in my neck of the words were empty too. No customers, plenty of gas and no customers.

-- Butt Nugget (catsbutt@umailme.com), January 22, 2000.

Butt Nugget: Good alias. I agree, you're a TURD!

-- Paranoia Will (Destroy_Y@BlackCopters.com), January 22, 2000.

Butt Nugget, you are an a**hole! But I guess you already know that from your name.

-- JoseMiami (caris@prodigy.net), January 22, 2000.

If there _are_ Y2K problems disrupting oil distribution scheme, politically, what is best way for TPTB to break the news?

a) Keep price same and just have shortages start to appear? and then prices climb? or

b) Begin to raise prices first--prior to shortages?

Thanks.

-- MisterBob (lurker@one.223.com), January 22, 2000.

c. Blame it on the Arabs.

d. Blame it on EPA for mandating clean air that forced the oil companies to introduce MBTE which is now toxifying much of the US waterways and will cost $$$$$$$ to clean up.

e. Anything except not a Y2K event.

-- Bill P (porterwn@one.net), January 22, 2000.

F. Blame it on consumers. "There's no shortage, in fact supply is higher than ever, it's just those damn Americans sky-rocketing consumption!!!"

(my prediction anyway)

-- Hokie (Hokie_@hotmail.com), January 22, 2000.

Mr.Bob,

I suspect we will have a media blackout until the shortages become too widespread for that, assuming that it gets that far.

Remember that the White House is now PAYING TV producers to show anti- drug messages in their shows? It is not in their best interests to have gas shortages reported right now. Heck, in my city, gas prices just went up $.11 at the major brands (Shell, Marathon, BP), but was that on the local evening news? Noooooooooooo. We got to hear all about the deep freeze that we're in and how all the social agencies are coping, not to mention "how to dress" for the cold lessons, just in case there are some Residents from the Sunbelt who are too stupid to wear a warm coat and gloves outside.

My roommate says that Klinton is going to start a war to cover up any gas shortages.

My dog says I should quit taping on this keyboard and feed him.

-- (stillawake@myhouse.com), January 22, 2000.

A new variable to consider in the oil equation: bunker oil. Used on some power plants as fuel, mostly in coastal locations and as fuel for the ocean-going vessels that haul things like: oil and petroleum products.

The northeastern US has many oil-fired power plants and guess where it's been extra cold lately, causing increased power demand? How are the utilities' stocks of fuel holding out for their oil-fired plants?

And are you folks in and around Philly, Boston, Miami, Wilmington, NC, Baltimore, NYC and all of NJ ready to pay higher power bills when the increased fuel oil prices show up in your bills? Look for the fuel surcharges.

WW

-- Wildweasel (vtmldm@epix.net), January 23, 2000.

Hey Butt Nuggett -- are you related to Dingle Berry?

-- Rings around Uranus (@ .), January 23, 2000.

I did notice that the Sunoco up by me was out of diesel, but had the price at 1.58 a gallon. The two station a few miles north (Two actully a Sunoco and a Mobil) had diesel and gas. (the prices at the mobil were 1.99 for diesel and 1.40 for gas. The prices wer the same at the sunoco except for 1.95 for diesel) I am getting conserend because I have a diesel Jetta. Why have'nt the gas prices gone up? I am assuming that they will. Oh, BTW, I live in upstate New York.

-- Chris Carroll (vwnut84@vwmail.zzn.com), January 23, 2000.

Ok. Here's an update. I went by the first two stations several times today. The first station that I went to last night didn't have any cars in it the first two times I went by this morning and the second station across the street had lines (not unheard of but unusual). The third time I went by both stations were pumping.

I don't know if the third station (where I got gas) ran out or got resupplied as I didn't have a chance to go by it. Looks like the first station only got refilled in the last couple of hours, but as I said, it is pumping, as is the second station.

Maybe I just 'caught' them at a bad time but I have NEVER had that happen before. Very weird. It spooked my wife so much that we're only driving my Honda (good gas milage) now and leaving her SUV in the driveway until we're sure things are stabil. I'll keep an eye out and if anything like it happens again I'll let everyone know.

-TECH32-

-- TECH32 (TECH32@NOMAIL.COM), January 23, 2000.