Maryland Gas, oil price relief unlikely

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2000 Calendar

Gas, oil price relief unlikely By THERESA WINSLOW, Staff Writer In the eight years since Bill Schultz opened his Hanover trucking company, he's weathered driver shortages so bad he's had to take to the road to make deliveries.

He's managed to keep the business afloat but if fuel prices continue to rise, he may have to shut down.

A year ago, he was paying $1.09 for diesel fuel to power his fivetruck fleet. Now, the cheapest he can get it is $1.65.

"If it hits $2 a gallon, I'm just going to call it quits," he said, his voice choked with emotion.

"I knew that we were going to see a good increase in fuel costs, but I've never experienced anything like this."

Mr. Schultz plans to hang on with Dutchman's Transport for as long as he can, but it looks like the Grinch is about to steal Christmas from and empty the wallets of all kinds of fuel users this winter.

Whether its diesel, gasoline, home heating oil, natural gas or electricity, experts predict no relief anytime soon from record-high costs.

"It's going to be based on how fall is," said Myra Wieman, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "If it's a cold fall, the increases could continue in gas and home heating oil. If it's a mild fall, we're hoping prices will stay the same. Under either situation, we don't see the cost going down."

The Clinton-Gore administration's recent decision to release oil from the nation's stockpile sparked speculation that prices might be kept in check. But regardless of political party, few people think it'll make much of a difference in the long run.

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), October 02, 2000

Answers

Url for above if you want to view the rest of the story. Greenspun is working in the problem hopefully. They say the problem will be addressed.

http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2000/10_01-01/TOP

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), October 02, 2000.


And the energy merry-go-round continues to go round and round. And round.

Any bets that it will stop soon?

-- R2D2 (r2d2@earthend.net), October 02, 2000.


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