Posted on 12/01/2011 5:36:35 AM PST by DemforBush
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The residents of Nome, Alaska, could be looking at a very costly winter: $9-a-gallon gasoline.
The coastal city of more than 3,500 residents that is known for the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is iced-in, and a massive winter storm this month prevented a barge that usually carries fuel from getting to shore...
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Gee, it sure would be nice if we had natural resources in Alaska, like oil, that we could tap into.
Oh, wait!
ANWR could’ve been at least a little help?
I wonder if the Russians could spare one of their nuclear powered icebreakers to clear a path? And how much would it cost?
IIRC they get about $1,200 a year per person (including kids) in free money from the oil leases. That should help with the high prices.
It’s not just the oil, it’s the refineries, too.
Why don’t they just bring it in by dogsled?
LOL, what a totally stupid story? Iced in? Impossible!! Everyone knows we are in the middle of a Global warming catastrophe and the Alaskans are about to be washed off their land by rising sea levels.
It could happen any day know, I’m not kidding either.
Supply and demand at work. Sorry for all those Nomeites who have to pay that much though. (Nomeites, Nomers, Nomianims?)
An Alaska refinery would be a great idea........
BINGO! Oil does you no good unless it’s been cracked (refined). But in checking I think Nome has more geographic challenges than anything else.
Alaska
Kenai Refinery (Tesoro), Kenai 72,000 bbl/d (11,400 m3/d)
Valdez Refinery (Petro Star), Valdez 50,000 bbl/d (7,900 m3/d)
North Pole Refinery (Petro Star), North Pole 17,000 bbl/d (2,700 m3/d)
Kuparuk Refinery (ConocoPhillips), Kuparuk 14,400 bbl/d (2,290 m3/d)
North Pole Refinery (Flint Hills Resources), North Pole 210,000 bbl/d (33,000 m3/d)
Prudhoe Bay Refinery (BP), Prudhoe Bay 12,500 bbl/d (1,990 m3/d
Alaska has several refineries and meets their demand.
The problem is location of Nome, not connected to the highway system. The fuel has to be brought in by barge and is iced in for a significant portion of the year.
On the other hand, they don’t have far to drive in their little town. The likely put more miles on a ATV and snowmobile than they do a pick-up truck.
They’ve got some refineries...see post 12. I’m guessing it’s a geographic issue more than anything else.
It's all about whatever the market will bear and the part of the oil industry here in Alaska that keeps prices high, no joke. Palin tried addressing the issue too many years back.
The good thing is I don't put the miles on vehicles people in urban America do, usually several thousand /year. We ride 4 wheelers & snowmachines more than trucks actually and everybody sure has cut back due to the price of fuel.
I have flown in there, in several of the Planes I have owned over the years. There are a few isolated Gold mining roads over the Tundra that go back as far as 30 miles, but they are extremely rough, ford (no pun intended) several rivers and streams. But most of the pickups and old Military tactical vehicles there, travel on the beach and can go for hundreds of miles when the tide and season is right.
The fuel thing is a disaster for them though, because they rely mostly on 4 wheelers and Snow machines. I am also sure that the Barge was carrying AVGAS and will crimp air travel. Their most vital link.
I wonder if there are any FReepers in Nome or that general area?
Nome is a small town with very little traffic. A lot of the fuel that is sold there ends up in a boat or snowmobile.
$9 a gallon is cheap vs. $4 and an hour commute like many folks in the big cities.
Maybe BDS does not look so “smart” now in Alaska?
You've got to admit, that is a pretty long road and fairly limited parts of the year. The price you pay for living in Paradise I guess.
It's all about whatever the market will bear
No different than the Salmon and Gold that leaves Alaska as well. It isn't about what it cost to produce them either.
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