Maricopa County (Phoenix metro area) has its own stupid blend of gasoline with MTBE - nobody else uses it. So, when there is a disruption in fuel supply for some reason, the problem gets really bad, really fast.
The governor reportedly turned down requests more than a week ago to seek a waiver from the EPA to use the normal Federal blend for unleaded fuel, concluding that it wasn't necessary. Had she done so, fuel could have been trucked in from California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.
But NOooooo . . . !, liberal Democrat Janet El-Renyo-Napolitano couldn't upset her girlfriend environmentalist allies by temporarily suspending an unproven fuel mandate to prevent a problem from worsening! A pox on you, Janet! She finally woke up and got the waiver yesterday - at least a week too late. Now she is on the offensive - taking a page from the Clinton's - and pointing the finger of blame at everyone except herself. Pitiful.
Very well said! Entirely too many folks do not appreciate the effect on price caused by the ''mandate'' (for which, of course, read EPA order, compounded by assorted local politics) that we now have 71 or 72 blends of gasoline required, in spots, nationwide. When delivery of one or another of the highly localised blends is hampered (as is now the case in Phoenix and environs, and was the case in 2001 in N. Illinois and Wisconsin), gee, guess what, prices go bazoo for a little while.
Well, at least Napolitano got around to applying for/issuing a waiver, but that's all the good news ANYONE is going to get for a while.
Combining today's API/DOE supply figures, motor gasoline stocks dropped roughly 1.8 MM bbl in the past week, even with refinery utilisation at 94%, and the current storage level is now 7.5% under the 3 year average figure on this date.
Wouldn't suggest waiting on price relief any time soon, bar the correction of distribution shortages due, as in AZ, to infrastructure problems.
Well, I suppose there is ONE more piece of good news; no pol in his/her/its right mind will propose raising gasoline taxes for a while (g!).