Why Gas Are Prices So High
The gas prices in many countries have gone up. For instance, the gas prices in United States have gone up. The gas prices in United States seem to be going up and dopwn each week and day. The gas prices also differ from one gas station to another. This has forced the American citizens especially the poor to look for as stations that offer gas at a lower price. Most people have been driving around looking for stations that have lower gas prices. The increase in gas prices is attributed to various factors. First, the increase in gas prices is as a result of the ban of oil drilling in the country. The United States government banned the drilling of oil in the country. The move was aimed at controlling environmental destruction in the country. The drilling oil and gas reserves in the country had resulted to oil spills in the country. The oil spills caused destructrion of wildlife and affected tourism negatively. It also affected the water bodies and lead to death of fish and other animals.
As a result the government developed various oil policies to protect the environment from damage. The government has not considered the negative impact of banning offshore drilling in the country. The government instead thinks the United States offshore oil production has reduced by 13%. Most people in the country especially the rich support the ban of the offshore drilling as we are only loosing almost 375,000 barrel of oil in a day. They think that this does not have a major impact on the consumption of gas and oil in the country. Only 2% of the daily consumption is lost. Hence, the Americans can utilize the products available well (Urban 2005).
In addition, the government thinks that the loss of 2% of gas and oil daily does not have an impact on the prices of the pump. The oil prices in the country have affected consumers negatively as most people are not able to afford oil due to high fuel prices. No one knows what the prices of gas will be like the next day. The prices of gas in the country have changed greatly. One day the prices go up to almost $2.64 per gallon and the following day they have dropped to almost $2.40. This is frustrating for many consumers as they are not able to manage their finances as they have to spend more when the prices go up and save some coins when the prices go down. The cost of gas in 1952 was almost 20 cents per gallon, but the prices have escalated for the last few decades leaving people with no option, but to spend the little they have and cope with the situation.
The high gas prices have forced people to move from places where the gas prices are high to places where the gas prices are low (Clough 2006). Though moving helps save almost $0.03 cents, it has more harm to the citizens. This is because they waste a lot of time moving from one place to another. The high gas prices in the country are painful especially now when the country’s economy is not doing well. The United States economy is not progressing well due to poor investment plans. The high gas prices are a rip off as the American citizens are paying more than required and the extra coins going directly to the big oil companies (Graham &Graham 2005).
The need to conserve the environment and prevent harm caused by offshore drilling has made it hard for the government to devise the right strategies to ensure adequate production of gas and oil in the country so as to reduce prices. However, the government officials think that there is no formula to the high gas prices, but there is. There are various things that the government can do to help prevent the high gas prices.
First, the government should look for alternative means of transportation. Most people who think the high gas prices are a bargain and are caused by inflation think that opposing the high fuel prices is useless. This is because it would lower the gas prices, but it will cause more harm due to lack of proper strategies. Most people argue that the government should encourage people to use other means of transport like walking, riding etc. However, this is only possible for people who live in the urban areas.
This is because they do not face challenges when it comes to transportation and are able to ride and walk. On the other hand, people from rural areas are not able to walk , ride or use any other method due to challenges linked with transportation. People in rural areas rely on vehicles to move from one place to another. Hence, the high gas prices play a significant role on their lives compared to the rich as the rich might not be able to feel the gas pain (Bezanson &Trafford publishing 2006).
The government should look for other methods to cut the gas prices so as to save citizens from suffering. Though the government claims there is no formula to the high gas price, there is. This is because the government can reduce the high gas prices by encouraging offshore drilling in various areas in the country. Promoting offshore drilling in the country will help improve domestic production of oil in the country. The country will be able to produce enough gas and oil and enable it to cater for its citizens. Increasing domestic production of gas in the country will benefit the poor in the society as they will be able to meet their needs. This will also help reduce dependencies on oil from other countries and reduce the transport costs. This will in turn reduce the prices of gas in the country (MacEachern 2005).
Reference
Bezanson,W.,&Trafford publishing. Why Gas Are Prices So High. Trafford Publishing, 2006
Graham,S.B.,&Graham,S .Why Your Gasoline Prices Are High: How You Can Help to Lower Them. Universe,2005
MacEachern,D.Beat High Gas Prices Now. The Fastest, Easiest Ways to Save $20-$50 Every Month on Gas. Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2005
Urban,B.V.Gasoline prices. Policies, practices and prospects. Nova Publishers, 2005
Clough,R.G .The Truth Behind High Fuel Prices. Oil and Gas Prices, 2006
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