Get Ready for $4 Gasoline!

[Jersey mike]

Apparently Chevron is fighting back a little in California. Not a huge campaign but enough to get the message out to the public countering Newsome's claim high gas prices in California are all Pres. Trump's fault. It's about time companies point the finger at just who is responsible for the price of fuel out there. California seems to have forgotten just what really put California on the map. California has more oil than they knkw what to do with yet they want the green revolution that's never going to work out too well for them.

Portion of the article below. In the article is a quick video and another graphic taken from an X account.

" Chevron Fights Back Against Radical Left's Vandalism Campaign – Slaps "Sacramento Policies Did This" Signs on California Gas Pumps After Newsom Tells Californians to Avoid the Gas Company"

Oil giant Chevron is refusing to play along with the Democrat blame game and is directly calling out Gavin Newsom and Sacramento Democrats for the insane gas prices crushing California families.

While homeless meth and crack addicts have been caught plastering gas pumps across Southern California with stickers falsely blaming President Donald Trump for the state's sky-high fuel costs, Chevron has responded by installing educational signs that tell the truth the left doesn't want you to hear.

The signs read: "Sacramento policies did this. Now you pay more."

And: "California politicians are choosing foreign oil and fuels over local jobs and lower costs."


https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/chevron-fights-back-against-radical-lefts-vandalism-campaign/

[GiG]

 OK, ready for $4 gas!   
Still $4.50 around here, can be had for $3.99 if you search hard and travel far enough 

Rumor has it Iran is about to surrender 
We'll see 

[LadyDraco]

Well yesterday the  farm need  fuel...
And  I had  to fill the  truck, LOL I didn't  even get to top it  fully off..
   Crappy fuel was  $ 4.15 at Sams club Got  5 gals  for  the  quad  and  put fuel in the  truck..
I got  5 gals  of  100%  $ 5.25 

OUCH  for  me and  the  farm....

[Jersey mike]

Here on the Jersey Shore we are hovering around $4.35 at Wawa I think, some independent stations are $4.45 and Exxon is $4.55 I think. All for regular 87. Some stations are even higher depending on the town or location.

[F6Dave]

Apparently Chevron is fighting back a little in California. Not a huge campaign but enough to get the message out to the public countering Newsome's claim high gas prices in California are all Pres. Trump's fault. It's about time companies point the finger at just who is responsible for the price of fuel out there. California seems to have forgotten just what really put California on the map. California has more oil than they knkw what to do with yet they want the green revolution that's never going to work out too well for them.

Portion of the article below. In the article is a quick video and another graphic taken from an X account.

" Chevron Fights Back Against Radical Left's Vandalism Campaign – Slaps "Sacramento Policies Did This" Signs on California Gas Pumps After Newsom Tells Californians to Avoid the Gas Company"

Oil giant Chevron is refusing to play along with the Democrat blame game and is directly calling out Gavin Newsom and Sacramento Democrats for the insane gas prices crushing California families.

While homeless meth and crack addicts have been caught plastering gas pumps across Southern California with stickers falsely blaming President Donald Trump for the state's sky-high fuel costs, Chevron has responded by installing educational signs that tell the truth the left doesn't want you to hear.

The signs read: "Sacramento policies did this. Now you pay more."

And: "California politicians are choosing foreign oil and fuels over local jobs and lower costs."

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/05/chevron-fights-back-against-radical-lefts-vandalism-campaign/

Good for Chevron. It's time for these companies to celebrate their products rather than defend them.

For years many oil companies thought if they compromised with radical environmentalists, all would be fine. One example is BP's rebrand from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum. Initially it was just an ad campaign, but later they pledged to reduce 'fossil fuel' production by 40% by 2030. Other companies made similar pledges.

Then reality struck back, as the global hydrocarbon usage continued to grow in spite of trillions spent on wind and solar. Another factor was leftist state and local governments trying to sue oil companies out of existence, like the case in Boulder, Colorado which will soon be in front of SCOTUS.

Energy is the most important commodity on the planet.  Without energy we couldn't cultivate food, nor could we process it, refrigerate it, or transport it to market.  Without energy clean drinking water would be a luxury, and life saving pharmaceuticals and medical devices couldn't exist.  If reliable energy (coal/nat gas/nuclear/hydro) were to disappear, civilization would collapse into chaos in a matter of days.  We'd be living in a Mad Max scenario.

[F6Dave]

The most expensive gas I've bought was along US-395 just east of the Sierra Nevadas in California. Right now diesel costs just under $9 a gallon at some stations in that area. That's higher than Europe!

[Jersey mike]

Went for gas this morning, at Exxon where I get gas it was down a few cents to $4.45.

[f6john]

One of my old bosses had a favorite saying. When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hold on. My rope has had a knot in it for a while now. But I haven't lost faith that we can reel in Iran, stop their nuclear/ uranium enrichment program and get the Strait back to normal operations. Mostly I want to knock the stool out from under the Democrats as soon as possible.

[Pluggy]

Went for gas this morning, at Exxon where I get gas it was down a few cents to $4.45.

Mike, what do you drive?  The "Flex Fuel" badge on my F-150 means it will burn E15 and E85, too.  The local Sheetz station sells E15 for 50 cents less than E10.  I was skeptical, but tried E15 and the truck runs as good as ever.  E15 contains 1.6% less energy than E10.  As E15 costs 12.3% less, there is a miles-per-dollar savings.

Whatever you drive, you may want to look into the possibility of using E15.

[old2soon]

     Out and about today-cage before ya ask-right here in W S the 2 largest atations here are Still @ $4.19 a gal But MFA at $4.00 a gal. Gotta wunder how long dat will last? RIDE SAFE.

[Jersey mike]

Went for gas this morning, at Exxon where I get gas it was down a few cents to $4.45.

Mike, what do you drive?  The "Flex Fuel" badge on my F-150 means it will burn E15 and E85, too.  The local Sheetz station sells E15 for 50 cents less than E10.  I was skeptical, but tried E15 and the truck runs as good as ever.  E15 contains 1.6% less energy than E10.  As E15 costs 12.3% less, there is a miles-per-dollar savings.

Whatever you drive, you may want to look into the possibility of using E15.

My wife drives a 6cyl Toyota Avalon. I drive a 6cyl Honda Ridgeline.

I believe all our gas in NJ is E-15 but also in NJ we have two different types of gas, it's seasonal. We have summer gas which is designed for lower smog and winter gas which is designed for easier cold weather starting. I have no idea if the rest of the country has this program.

[Jersey mike]

Mike, filling the truck with E15 yesterday saved me $11.  That's good, but it just doesn't feel like a bargain. 

I don't believe we have an option in NJ on E-15, we use what the state says we're allowed to have. The only options are 87,91 or 93 octane and diesel of course.

[F6Dave]

On my quick ride to Eureka Springs last week, I bought gas in Colorado, Kansas, and Missouri. The prices in Colorado were considerably higher, sometimes as much as $1 more. And high altitude states like Colorado have somewhat deceptive advertised prices. Regular is only 85 octane, so if your vehicle needs 87 octane you need to pay significantly more for mid-grade.

I found myself stopping at Quik Trip stations when available. Their fuel is Top Tier certified, and ethanol free is available too.

[Hook#3287]

Get ready for $3.00 gas.

[F6Dave]

It will be interesting to see how quickly the prices drop. And more interesting to see how long the peace deal lasts!

[Jersey mike]

I've stopped paying close attention to the pump prices. I think the sign at the Wawa by me was $3.75 today.

[F6Dave]

Wow, oil dropped below $70. That's essentially 'normal'.

[f6gal]

In AZ we run kind of on the high side (I think bc we get our gas from CA).  However, this morning I saw $3.86!!

[Jersey mike]

I last week I woke up my Oldsmobile from a long hibernation and have been gently getting her juices flowing again and burning off the old gas. On Saturday morning my wife and I took her for a nice highway ride to let her really breather a little and get some highway speeds 60-70mph) under her. Before going home I filled up, $100.00 for 20 gallons of high test at Exxon.

[f6john]

87 was $3.29 @ Buc-ees today in Richmond Ky. Should be under $3.00 by now in my opinion.

[Challenger]

Still $4.35 in my town IL.
Thanks J.B.

[Jersey mike]

This is my understanding of how the oil market works, it's basically like most other products out there.

Oil that was purchased (and is "in stock") at a higher price and refined for use (gas, diesel, home heating, airline, etc) needs to be paid for at the pump. To buy oil at say $90.00 a barrel, refine that into a product, but then sell at a cheaper price than it normally would is not good business.

As the price lowers (and stabilizes across the industry) per barrel then the price at the pump will reflect that.

I think we are in for another bump up in oil/fuel prices, I don't think we're done over there.

[F6Dave]

My F150 has a 36 gallon tank, so even with $3 gas it can cost $100 to fill. A few weeks ago I paid $120.

[F6Dave]

This is my understanding of how the oil market works, it's basically like most other products out there.

Oil that was purchased (and is "in stock") at a higher price and refined for use (gas, diesel, home heating, airline, etc) needs to be paid for at the pump. To buy oil at say $90.00 a barrel, refine that into a product, but then sell at a cheaper price than it normally would is not good business.

As the price lowers (and stabilizes across the industry) per barrel then the price at the pump will reflect that.

I think we are in for another bump up in oil/fuel prices, I don't think we're done over there.

Sectors of the oil industry react to price changes differently. 'Upstream', where they drill and produce the wells, does very well when prices increase. Their expenses may increase but not as much as the extra revenue. However many producers hedge: they enter into contracts to sell future production at a set price. This is especially true with natural gas, where utilities lock in a price during the summer months to avoid spikes in the winter.

The 'midstream' sector, mostly pipelines, generally charge set fees to transport the stuff. Prices don't affect them as much.

The 'downstream' sector can get interesting. Price increases hit refineries quickly and their operating margins get squeezed. High prices don't help them but they often to do better when crude prices drop while high refined product prices linger.

Gas stations are mostly independently owned and tend to set prices to compete with local competition while generating enough revenue to cover the next delivery. Gas has become a magnet to spend money inside the store. Just look at Buc-ee's.

[Serk]

$2.96 near me right now....

2020 was a complete dumpster fire in so many ways, but it did have its' benefits. This pic from 2020 is the same gas station that just dropped back below $3 now.

[F6Dave]

I think we are in for another bump up in oil/fuel prices, I don't think we're done over there.

I agree. Little has changed. The leadership is just a younger version, with the same hard line views. And they've been emboldened after trying out their new weapon: closing the strait. It created more global chaos than terrorism.

We'll surely be back, but I doubt it will happen before the election. And the Iranians know that.

[F6Dave]

We were even lower around here at just under a buck. But it didn't last long.

$2.96 near me right now....

2020 was a complete dumpster fire in so many ways, but it did have its' benefits. This pic from 2020 is the same gas station that just dropped back below $3 now.

[F6Dave]

I just looked at a gas receipt from February, right before the war in Iran. I paid $3.18 for PREMIUM. This week I paid $4.35. That's better than a month ago when I paid $6, but a long way from pre-war prices.

Iran still has their nukes. A younger version of the same regime is still in power. They have a tighter grip on the Strait of Hormuz than before. And we're still paying a lot more for gas. So far I don't see any upside to the war.

[Willow]

...
Iran still has their nukes. ...

Iran still has their nukes?  Really?  I wonder where that report comes from.   

[Timbo1]

Currently we still have not reached the peak prices of the Biden administration that were due only to their policies and assault on fossil fuels. They had prices constantly on the rise even while they dumped half the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.  Dropping the SPR back to the lowest levels seen since the 1980's.  There was a nice dip in price in 2020 due to lack of consumption because of Covid I believe, and prices quickly began rising again.

With the current gas prices, fake news is talking about it more and more but were silent 4 yrs ago.  At least now there's a legitimate effort to stop one of the worlds largest sponsors of terrorism and I support it, even if gas prices have gone up.   It's one thing to have a legitimate cause and another to just be incompetent which the previous administration was.

$3.17 at QT in Tulsa yesterday.

U.S. Energy Information Administration

[F6Dave]

...
Iran still has their nukes. ...

Iran still has their nukes?  Really?  I wonder where that report comes from. 

I doubt anyone outside of Iran knows for sure as IAEA inspectors haven't been permitted in the country for over a year. But even when they were, they could only inspect 'declared nuclear sites'. They weren't allowed to visit labs at universities, military facilities, or other government locations. CIA and ODNI assessments were optimistic after the attacks last year, but became less so over time. If a significant threat doesn't remain, why else would we have returned this year, and why do IAEA inspections remain a major barrier to a settlement?

I've long believed this war had to be fought eventually, and praised Trump for having the courage to confront the issue now. But he, along with his advisors and others in his administration clearly underestimated the challenge. I've read there wasn't even a contingency plan in place if Iran closed the Strait. Trump has had some great accomplishments, like closing the border and capturing Maduro. But so far, the Iran war isn't on that list.

Iran won't change without regime change. Many thought that would be accomplished by massive bombing, but that didn't work. While historians will tell you these wars are never won from the air alone, sending in ground troops is politically impossible for Trump. So we're probably in for more of the same.

[LadyDraco]

This past Wed I paid $5.60 for 100% gas  for TheBeast!
    At them prices  I  don't  get out much..
And  my tractor  just burned  through 10 gals  of 100% gas..
In the hay fields...   
    It's  killing me...
I can't put the  crap gas  in the tractor ...
The repairs would cost  more than the  fuel!
   

[scooperhsd]

$4 / gal gas ? - ha - misers - on the Pennsylvia turnpike, I paid $5.60 / gallon for D2 last week.

[F6Dave]

They're at it again! Reports are that Hormuz is completely shut down. You might want to fill your tanks now as I don't expect prices to go lower for a while.

[Jersey mike]

Moves being made in the mid east, new overland pipelines being laid and a new port being built.

Nations are seeing the light and options are beneficial for all.


" Middle East allies rushing new pipelines, port to bypass Iran's grip on Strait of Hormuz"

Two such projects are already underway in the United Arab Emirates and Iraq — with Saudi Arabia eyeing its own and Dubai also seeking to establish a new port to further reduce dependence on the strait.

There should be enough pipeline capacity to divert up to 45% of the pre-war Persian Gulf oil export by the end of 2027, Goldman Sachs analyst Alexandra Paulus told investors on Monday.

Given that pipeline projects can move quickly in the Middle East, the bank estimates that output bypassing the strait could reach 7.3 million barrels by the end of 2028 — making 60% of the Gulf's oil strait-proof.

The UAE's much-touted West-East Pipeline project is about 50% complete, with Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed ordering its completion by 2027.

Along with the pipeline projects, the UAE is also planning to build a new port and container terminal on the Arabian Sea side of the Strait of Hormuz — to allow more goods to be imported into the region without going through the waterway, The Financial Times reported.




https://nypost.com/2026/07/14/world-news/middle-east-allies-rushing-new-pipelines-port-to-bypass-irans-grip-on-strait-of-hormuz/

[ridingron]

Wonder what it would take the dig a canal from the Persian Gulf across to the Gulf of Oman. Looks mountainous on the coast but also looks like a pass or low point along highway 5 (Google maps).

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Nasib,+Oman/@24.7940158,55.727723,110090m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x3ef4e07751e70973:0xb823c25102d9535d!8m2!3d24.7864739!4d56.2360059!16s%2Fg%2F11b6hx0n_h!5m2!1e1!1e4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDcxMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[Jersey mike]

Oman has been acting a bit weird recently, it's been reported they have similar idea as Iran in collecting a fee for transit.

A canal would be great, there'd have to be two imo, one for entry and one for exit and probably pretty wide for safe navigation. Is it doable, sure why not, almost everything is doable. This would certainly be expensive. A lot would depend on just how much Oman could be trusted and would they long term honor any agreements.

[F6Dave]

It looks like after 4 months of war, major nations in the region have concluded that Iran will control the Strait of Hormuz for the foreseeable future. And their control will be disruptive enough to justify spending large sums of money to build alternative infrastructures to bypass Hormuz. This validates an article I just read titled 'Iran Conflict has Forever Changed Strait of Hormuz. It's linked here:

https://www.realclearenergy.org/2026/07/13/iran_conflict_has_forever_changed_strait_of_hormuz_1193830.html

I didn't realize that there are actually 31 provincial IRGC units that are separate and autonomous, even from the government in Tehran. So even if Tehran were to sign a peace agreement that agreed to every US demand, a rogue IIRC unit could continue attacking ships in the Strait. This could explain the somewhat random breaches of the MOU, as well as the contradictory statements coming out of Iran. They call this their 'Mosaic Defense', and it was designed to thwart attempts to remove their leadership.

I suspect Iran has been planning to seize control of Hormuz for a very long time. Now it looks like their neighbors have accepted and will work around this new reality.

[Jersey mike]

As the article states the economy in Iran is floundering and will continue to do so until it can bring in money. I don't see that happening under Trump's administration, he going to continue to choke them off. Sure they'll find a way to transport some tankers over land somehow or even maybe smuggle a tanker or two out of the Gulf but their main money supply is basically nonexistent. If we want we can target any roadway we want, the topography of Iran does not favor Iran for mass transport of oil over their land.

The article also states a situation of Kharg island whether or not it would be beneficial, the military significance of doing so and a the possibility of retaliation of seizing that little island.

If we seize it in whole without extensive damage to the production and port facilities that's a feather in our cap. Could our forces engage some resistance that's a possibility and we'd most likely experience some casualties, it's to be expected from either some embedded forces or from some IED traps. If we seize it basically in whole, the issue is will Iran attack its gem. Will they try to destroy what is necessary to them. The island is as they say 20 miles off the coast of Iran, that's currently not a hop skip and a jump for their armed forces. Drone and/or missile attcks could see some, however that gives us the ability to target launch sites.

I think nations in the Middle East have grown tired and weary of Iran and their shenanigans and Iran's refusal to basically grow the F... up and fully step into this century. Their idea of circumventing the use of the Strait is (imo) proof of that. They've said enough of this crap we're making moves for ourselves and moving on with life.

Iran doesn't control the Strait, they're the troll under the bridge demanding payment, antagonizing, instigating and threatening or trying to beat up those who refuse. Can or could they inflict some serious damage to a tanker, yes they could but even a blind squirrel gets a nut now and again.

Trump will hold their feet to the fire until his term is over, after that it's anybody's guess what will happen in the next administration. We all saw how the markets reacted when ships began transiting the Strait again, so that's basically the new normal for a time.

The idea of complete capitulation from all of the IRGC branches will be something that will need to trickle down and that will take time and be for them to open their eyes to reality they basically have zero money to replenish weapons to the amount they're use to as well as money isn't flowing for any other usage as well. Let them make mud pies and pay soldiers in goats milk.