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November 22, 2008 12:00:57 PM CST

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Let's Not Kid Ourselves: Oil's Going Higher

Posted Jun 18, 08 12:09 PM CDT in US,  Business,  Opinion 

(Newser) – Yes, $4 a gallon seems steep, but the worst is surely yet to come, Robert J. Samuelson writes in the Washington Post. Gas is on pace to rise to $7 a gallon by 2012, with oil rising to $225 a barrel, according to one economist. Oil-rich nations are acting as though we’ve already hit “peak oil,” and fast-growing nations in Asia and elsewhere are keeping demand steady.

The fallout will be widespread. Manufacturers will move closer to home as transportation costs soar, inflation will worsen, and the auto and home industries will be further hit. Meanwhile, Samuelson says, we should begin drilling more domestically, and working on cheaper biofuels. Finally, he notes, we should set a floor price on oil, protecting those new fuels, and preventing America from getting delusional again.

Source Washington Post

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Salim Sabbagh pumps gas that is priced at $4.05 a gallon for regular unleaded at a gas station in Paterson, N.J., Monday, June 16, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mike Derer)
A sign advertising gas prices is seen at a gas station in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Friday, June 13, 2008.   (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
A motorist gasses up at a Chevron station in Portland, Ore., Friday, June 13, 2008.   (AP Photo/Don Ryan)
Shelley Walker pumps gas at a gas station in Albany, N.Y., Friday, June 13, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mike Groll)
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gas prices • oil price • oil • energy • biofuel • oil drilling • peak oil


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