If you listen to Big Oil and the nightly news, you probably think that high gas prices are all your fault. For months, they've reported that "fuelish" consumers are using more gas than ever before.
As it turns out, these claims may be little more than oil lobbyist propaganda:
In May, four prominent organizations backed UCAN's long-standing claim that gas consumption is down.
North County Times: Big Oil wants us to believe that demand for oil is inelastic, that consumers do not respond to the price of gas. UCAN gas analyst Charles Langley asks, what if they're wrong? Langley's theory for the drop in gas prices is that demand is not inelastic and that drivers are responding to price pressure by buying less gasoline. Read more
The technology for this is still under development at UCAN's Consumer laboratories, but we are perilously close to developing special X-Ray Truth Goggles ....
San Diego Union-Tribune: All-time record high gas prices last month have drivers breathing a sigh of relief with the current price of $3.31/gallon. Don't get too comfortable. With the price of crude on the rise, gas prices could soon follow. Read more.
The Sacramento Bee: Michael Shames says Governor Schwarzenegger, "could have a big impact on oil company practices in the short term, and his silence has really been a lost opportunity." Read more.
San Diego's gas prices have dropped 5¢ in the last week. UCAN predicts further drops over the weekend due to slackening consumer demand. Find Cheap Gas.
The News Journal - According to UCAN gas analyst Charles Langley, "All of the major brands use zone pricing to prevent price wars between dealers. The practice also ensures when money is being made on gas that it stays in the pockets of the refineries." Read more.
NBC San Diego - Michael Shames says, "The two big problems with boycotts are you can not verify whether they are effective, so you never really know, and the oil companies will never tell you." Read more.
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