Wednesday Open Thread: Gaseous

Quick note – I noticed that this AC-T article mentions that the restart on the shuttered refineries has a predictable time frame. In otherwords, this ‘crisis’ was completely predictable, if only someone had bothered to consider it. Imagine if you’d had two weeks notice about this. You’d have gas in both cars and an adjusted schedule to manage the situation.

It’s really disappointing that no one in our city, county, state, or national government bothered to pay attention.

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adam says:

Anyone know how far out of town we’ll have to drive to have a better chance of finding some fuel?

Alaska.

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Low Key, Asheville is not western North Carolina. There are many more people in a bind than city residents.

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Wait a minute, you filled up yesterday, then topped off again today?!
Shame, Gordon!

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This crisis wasn’t caused by political or industry leaders failing too warn the public – but Asheville residents who have not based lifestyle decisions around a multi-modal framework. In fact, the very idea of multi-modal transit is so outside Asheville’s mental framework, it was barely considered an option this week.

This idea must come from one of two basic ideas that are common. The one it comes from is that people are lacking brains and need leaders and government systems to help them out.

Mine comes from the other point of view that people are not stupid and will be self-reliant when crunch time comes.

The people are not going to starve. They are going become creative in solving their problems.

Maybe we have the chance here of a reawakening of self-reliance and creativity.

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adam- i just got back from raleigh sunday and we had no problems finding gas down there. once we got past old fort there seems to be plenty, but that was a couple days ago.

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From a Buncombe Democratic Party email:

This Friday evening, September 26th, The Kay Hagan Campaign is sponsoring a Presidential Debate Watch event at Democratic Headquarters. Join them for a fun evening with Food, Discussion and Politics!
To begin the event, come at 5:00 to phone bank for Kay. As a special treat, Kay Hagan will speak to all her supporters across the state at 5:30 via a conference call! Then, stay to watch the Presidential Debate at 9:00 PM.

The Hagan Campaign requests that you RSVP for this event. Call Valerie at 828-817-3856 or Jennifer at 336-972-5861 to RSVP or for other information.

You can also join other Democrats to watch Barack Obama debate John McCain at Asheville Brewing, 77 Coxe Avenue. 255-4077.

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John McCain = Joe Dunn for President.

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oh yeah – and I haven’t had to wait behind a bunch of stupid people buying lottery tickets either – I guess they’re not feeling lucky!

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so unless someone robbed the store yesterday, the police are commandeering the gas at that station.

Or the station has a contract to provide gas to the sheriff in case of a shortage.

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Rep. Susan Fisher in an email says:

We have been in contact with the Attorney General’s office and would like to ask that you also contact the Consumer Protection office if you have specific instances of price gouging by gasoline retailers. I have attached the Consumer Protection contact number below. Due to this situation being time-sensitive, it is best that you contact their office by phone.
9001 Mail Service Center
Raleigh , NC 27699-9001
Telephone: 919-716-6400 • Fax: 919-716-6750
Consumer Protection: 1-877-5-NOSCAM
In the meantime, I have contacted the North Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association, Asheville Oil Company, and other gas distributors. The information we have received is that Hurricane Ike caused electrical damage to the oil refineries which were already compromised by the previous storm, Gustav. The pumps were damaged and the pipeline is not running at full capacity although it may be fully operational. The pipeline runs from Texas to a terminal in Spartanburg , S.C. and on up the east coast. It is fed by refineries in Virginia and New Jersey , but the pipeline only runs one way–up, not down, so Asheville ‘s gas supply comes from the refineries in the gulf. The gasoline Asheville has received up to this point has come from inventoried reserves from the distributors and now, due to no deliveries since this past weekend, they must allocate and stretch supplies for contractual obligations and emergencies. They hope for a delivery by Friday of this week but until repairs are completed, people are being asked to not panic, and not to pump more gas than they need in order to provide for doctors, nurses, emergency rescue workers, etc., who, for obvious reasons, need transportation to work.
In regard to Asheville experiencing this shortage more acutely, it has been said that we, the people of Western North Carolina, are largely a fiercely independent group of people and this also applies to a large number of our oil retailers being independent. As I mentioned earlier in this newsletter, contractual obligations are filled first, so the independent distributors struggle harder to receive what is available when the times are lean such as we are experiencing now.

Please be assured that as a resident of Asheville I share your concerns, and as your House Representative I am doing everything possible to correct this situation by investigating all options available to alleviate this distress. If you have further questions, you may contact my office in Raleigh at the number listed above or by E-mailing me at susanf@ncleg.net.

Thank you for the understanding and patience you have shown during this difficult time.

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Watch this video to the end and hold your sides, just substitute Asheville for Nashville. You might have to cut and paste.

http://blogs.nashvillescene.com/pitw/2008/09/inside_the_metro_bunker.php

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Could McCain be any more lame? First he said he wanted to postpone Friday’s debate, so he could drag presidential politics into the economic EPIC BAIL. This despite the fact that he hasn’t been bothered to cast but one vote since March of this year. Now this. Feel the desperation:

According to CNN, McCain’s camp is now proposing that the debate be postponed by moving it to into the time and venue of the vice presidential debate, scheduled for Oct. 2nd in St. Louis. The Biden-Palin debate would then be itself rescheduled to happen later on.

So, that’d be delaying two debates, not just one. And what are the odds that the vice presidential debate would manage to somehow never get rescheduled, given the McCain camp’s intensive efforts to keep her away from reporters and questioners?

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My coincidental timing couldn’t have been better. My previously made appointment had been moved up to today.

What a day. Apparent financial meltdowns, suspensions of campaigns by hopeless Republicans, a major local gas crises unseen since 73. Add beautiful weather and some smiles and some good news that my daughter is back safe from overseas, and you’ve got a pretty memorable day.

That’s why I’m so stoked that my Mermaid tatoo was tuned up today. I’ve had her about five years and she covers most of my upper left arm. Before the tune up, she was just kind of floating there, sitting on a few rocks. Tonight she now has splashing waves around her and the expanded rocks. Next month we’ll finish it up with a shoreline and Dover like cliffs topped with a lighthouse, blue sky, white clowds and those seagulls we used to draw in kindergarten off in the distance.

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Rasmussen: Obama by 2 in NC.
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_20082/2008_presidential_election/north_carolina/election_2008_north_carolina_presidential_election

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