Did you read my post at all? The prices are spiking NOW to slow down people's consumption for the inevitable shortages that will result from so much loss in refining capacity. Will there or will there not be less refined product in the coming weeks and months until these refineries are back online? Will that not cause shortages, rationing, etc?
Ok, do you mean that the prices are 'spiking now' (post-Katrina) from my local's last week's 2.50/gal to today's 2.69/gal - because of "so much loss in refining capacity"?
Look, remember the prices shot up in 2000 from 1.10 to over 1.50 (no gas line shortages I could recall), continuing through the last 4 yrs to last week's 2.50 (no gas line shortages I could recall).
All you have to do is look.
We have been able to refine all the gasoline that we have needed. What are you saying then, that if we had nore refineries we would then 'refine more' gasoline than what we need? For what reason, just to build up more inventories?