PALMETTO STATE KICKS OFF 2013 ON A “HIGH” NOTE
Last year was a wild ride for gas prices in the Palmetto State … but what will 2013 hold?
Well we know one thing: Dirt poor South Carolinians will continue paying a disproportionate share of their modest incomes on fuel costs (second only to Mississippi, last time we checked). We also know there is a major effort underway to compound this problem by raising the state’s gas tax. Sources tell FITS this proposed gas tax hike is “DOA” in the S.C. House of Representatives – and we certainly hope they’re right.
But until we start raising income levels in this state, we’re going to continue to see our citizens shelling out much greater percentages of their recently reduced incomes to gasoline than people who live in other, less backward states …
Anyway, in 2013 FITS will continue to monitor South Carolina fuel costs on a monthly basis – and as it happens our first reading of the new year is virtually identical to January 2012. According to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the average price for a gallon of regular, unleaded gasoline in South Carolina is $3.20 – or two cents cheaper than it was a year ago (and ten cents below the national average of $3.30 per gallon).
That’s the good news … the bad news? Gas is up eighteen cents per gallon from December 2012. Also South Carolina – which historically boasts the nation’s cheapest gas – is currently trailing 21 other states when it comes to the cost of its petrol.
What’s going on?
Experts we spoke with weren’t immediately aware of anything beyond the “normal fluctuations” in fuel prices (other than a vague “supply disruption” affecting the Charleston, S.C. area) but they said they’d look into the situation for us. Obviously we’ll be sure to let you know if they come back with anything revealing …
What are gas prices like in your neighborhood? Share your experiences in our comments section below …
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32 comments
Sorry, I couldn’t read past the intro picture, but it looks like a fantastic article.
I go to FITSNEWS for the articles….
….. don’t care about the gas prices, but your “model” appears to be the same one in each of your articles – and she does get our attention!
I think you’re right Shifty, but I prefer the rear view!
…. THAT’S what I’m referring to!
WOW: FITS = Dick Tracy….
Until we get an ADULT president, with a REAL energy policy…don’t expect any stability…anywhere…(Except Solyndra Paychecks)….
We now export more than we import. I’m not sure what any President can do as long as oil/gas is allowed to be a free market commodity.
We use it, we pay for it. Technology and time will change what fuel costs, but it take years.
Robert, I wouldn’t even go through the effort… Just let him put on his little show.
Shut up you idiots…Gas is ASTRONOMICAL now compared to what it was for MOST of Bush’s 8 years. It’s why we prospered for most of Bush’s terms, and are Broken now……and the fact we’re in an EXTREME Obama Recession…the high price of gas is even more PROFOUND…
When you Stamp out Keystone, try to strangle coal, Blame producers and you hate Fracking…you are an Anti-American enemy to our economy…
And that is what Obama is….So quit w/ the Stupid Leftwing Talking points…
The Bottom Lie: We’re in a Freaking Economic Mess..and your IDIOT is the cause of it…Quit making Excuses…
hahahahahaha go sarah..go..ignore all those pesky facts..highest gas prices, collapse of the economy etc..just start screaming Nazis and dumbasses..its all ya got boy..everything.
So T, in between all your bitching, do you have a solution or suggestion, other than get rid of Obama.
Yes, gas is high these days, but astronomical compared to Bush years? I’ll go back and check yearly figures, but it is less today than when it peaked in 2008 at $4 in SC; higher in other places. And that was BEFORE election.
As for excuses, facts are not excuses. Give suggestions, not just your normal tirades.
Wow! BigT is the only cat here that didn’t mention that hot piece at the pump.
He doesn’t have the time.
Too busy espousing wisdom, I guess…
Its the ENERGY…….my dear Scarlett…
why wont’ my mouth stop watering?
Actually we still import far more crude oil than we export, exporting crude oil is illegal. As a percentage of our energy consumption imports are a smaller percentage than they were. We do however export more REFINED petroleum products than we import. Hell we can’t even ship refined products from one US port to another US port without it costing more to import those refined products so we export product X that we refine in the Gulf of Mexico area and we import product X that the Northeast area needs.
http://blog.heritage.org/2012/11/23/legalize-crude-oil-exports/
US banned crude oil exports in 1975 with limited exceptions (North Slope to Japan). This publication has charts for quantities and explains better than I.
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R42465.pdf
Law was changed years ago and, with permit, oil can be exported. Canada imports oil from America via BP.
But yes, we still import more oil than we export, but we export more gas than we import.
Factor in the Mo Fo Low Info voters also drive gas guzzling Escalades and Vics and you have a doubly delicous irony sandwich.
good lawd !!
And yet again no mention from FITS about the woeful conditions that our highways and bridges are in.
Nowhere is there mention how our lowest in the nation gas tax is supposed to help for maintenance and improvements to the nation’s fourth largest state-maintained highway network (in the 40th largest state geographically).
Nowhere is it mentioned that the fuel tax has not been raised since 1986 nor adjusted for inflation. Nowhere is it mentioned that infrastructure improvement projects now cost double than they did 25 years ago, due to escalating material and labor costs. Due to the static nature of funding, SCDOT can only pave 25% of a road section in today’s dollars compared to its abilities 25 years ago. How is that efficiency in government???
SCDOT could certainly improve its internal efficiency, but until it as adequate funding to repair the roads in this state, it will continue to be riddled with financial setbacks.
A modest 10 cent increase in the gas tax could effectively double SCDOT’s annual paving capability and would keep our gas prices on par with Georgia and lower than North Carolina. Plus, how often does gas change 10 cents or more within one week? All the time. Consumers would barely notice, if at all.
If the state won’t budge on this, then allow counties or municipalities the ability to collect local gas taxes on their own and start decommissioning non-bannered state-maintained roadways.
BETTER IDEA: Make the truckers (you know, the ones that actually tear up the roads) pay for ALL the maintenence and repairs and leave the Po Mo Fo Lo Ifno voters alone.
What you’re talking about is making the vehicle tax subject to a vehicle’s weight, and I fully support that. Why should a Kia be charged the same as an Escalade?
Don’t even get me started on Spartanburg county’s vehicle “fee” of $25/vehicle er… fucking tax is what it is
I got back from Afghanistan back in 2002 and went to the LAST hearing on the “road “fee” and presented true engineering facts on why the “fee” should be related to the weight of the vehicle (especially concerning MOTORCYCLES). I had technical data (weight vs. surface bearing weight = pounds per square foot of weight on the road surface) on my two motorcycles,my sedan & farm truck, and a 3 axle dump truck grossing out at 55,000 pounds my two bikes exerted lsee than 20 pounds/sq. inch while the big assed truck exerted ~ 50 pounds/square inch). How even in the South Carolina most motorcycles are ridden less than 75% of the year, etc. = Real no BS facts.
County Council nodded their heads gave me and the rest opposed a blank stare and proceeded to fuck all motorcyclists in the ass.
A lot of SC counties have some road “fee” or another and it is GROSSLY UNFAIR.
I even went to a couple of Spartanburg TEA party meetings to try to gather support and all I got was blank stares while all they were worried about was the bowel movements of Sarah Palin and how Obama was the AntiChrist
That is when I learned how truly crazy TEA partier types are in addition to learing one more valuable lesson that when City/County Council gets their mind made up it is futile to get them to change their mind.
You dont think Sarah’s bowel movements are important?
Next thing you know you’ll be spreading those lies about Rush Limbaugh taking oxycontin!
What in the Hell is the world coming to!
Drill her, drill now! Er, uhm drill here, drill now!
(chuckle)
Here are the facts on average prices for last 3 Presidents:
Clinton: 1993 takes office $1.06 average
Bush: 2001 takes office $1.46 average
Bush last full year (2008) gas hits peak of $4.12 average then goes down.
Obama: 2009 takes office $1.61 average; as of Jan 14, 2013, average is $3.30. One year ago this date it was $3.39.
There is no doubt that gas is higher now for sustained period than it has ever been. The last year has been more stable. Without a doubt it has been a volatile commodity since 9/11 happened.
The global market dictates pump prices, NOT whatever piece of useless hack shit from either Party infects the White House at a given moment.
The US is currently a gasoline exporter. We have plenty, and the market is deciding where it shall go.
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=pet&s=w_epm0f_eex_nus-z00_mbbld&f=w
Booyah,
The EIA is a great source of data but you need to look at the NET of the imports/exports to get a truth-filled macro view of the STILL SHRINKING U.S. economy:
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WTTNTUS2&f=W
Even Howard can take a purple crayon to the chart and realize the Obama “recovery” is a fraud.
YES WE CAN!
I travel lots of miles everyday to and from work and I have watched the roads I travel go down hill drastically over the years. Although I spend alot of money filling up my car, I am willing to pay a bit more in tax so that I can stop bitching about the road conditions every day of my life!!! The road I live off of is in very poor condition but according to SCDOT, this particular road is not on any list to be “worked on”. My God, how bad does the road have to be until something gets done.
RAISE THE GAS TAX!!!!!
Whats going on with prices? All the politicians are crooked,they all have been bought off by the big oil cos.Look at the records of all the lobbiest,and how much money they have forked out and to who!I seen on the news that gas was going to be 5% cheaper in the next few months and guess what happened the very next morning? Gas had gone up overnight by 15 cents a gallon,now in a few days or weeks they will come down 5 cents a gallon,what a deal!Look at what has happened to diesel prices,it went from cheaper than gas to as much as 80 cents higher a gallon, we are getting robbed everyday by the big oil cos. that care so much for everyone, B. S.!But we can gripe and bitch all we want we have no control over pricing.AS far as tax,the S.C. Government needs to put gas tax money back into D.O.T. where it was supposed to be to start with instead of blowing it! Raise gas taxes for what? You think D.O.T. would get it and repair roads?Where is all the tax money going that was supposed to be used for the roads,you cant even get a pothole fixed anymore unless it gets a foot deep or its where some bigwheel lives! Bottom line we need to fire all the politicians and start over with people of blue collar background who knows what its like to get screwed everyday! AS for the Chick, for the prices we are paying I say we need one at each pump!