This morning, President Joe Biden announced an executive order that will ban the import of Russian oil, liquified natural gas, and coal to the United States, as part of a plan to cut Russia off from the world economy.
Dr. Richardson, I am amazed at the amount of information you research, collect, parse, and assemble into something that is so brief (considering what you must start with and sift through) and understandable that even I can 'get it.' I reach this conclusion partially by looking at -- and sometimes following -- your MANY cites and sources. Several times I have imagined scores of student assistants or full-time staff devoted to your topic(s) of the day, maybe like a news staff working for a media journalist; else, how do you do it?
I won't pry any further into professional professorial trade secrets. It is enough for me to know that you do what you do, and why you do it -- to our great edification. And through us the truth travels far....
Heather often says, "I read A LOT." She also has said, "I read fast." So it's quite possible that she pores through the daily news outlets and other sources on her own, but, yes, I can believe she may have students and staff assisting her.
Reading a lot is the only way to keep up, and outlining on the fly, and staying up half the night, and yes, assistants (volunteer or otherwise) to help with that would be my guess!
I installed solar in 2002 and bought my first electric car the same year. The money I saved by not buying gasoline and electricity paid for the solar in 2010. Since then, and for the rest of my life, I power my home, cars, and motorcycles on clean renewable energy - for free.
When I did it, solar was expensive and EVs were rare and costly. Today, solar is cheaper than grid power, and EVs are plentiful and on par with the cost of gas cars.
Going forward, our job is to never buy another gas car, and to the extent you have influence, don't let your friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors buy one either.
The US Postal service has ordered a new fleet of vehicles. Not electric, though that’s what Biden asked for. DeJoy’s handiwork, again. There has been a campaign to stop the order, email letters. Form letters not accepted. Can’t remember the recipient’s details.
Ditto. And then we might get 3 weeks worth of magazines etc in one delivery. And my health insurance folks don't understand why I won't get my meds thru the mail????
No Joy has certainly been a part of the festering death star plan. I hope to see him gone soon. My LMT, a former postal worker calls him Destroy. Our mail delivery is OK. Our problem locally is people breaking into the postal boxes. Ours hasn't been.....yet.
President Biden will be getting a bipartisan bill to sign, finalized by the House, that will rectify a lot of what Republicans did in the past to throttle the Postal Service. There will be no more funding retirement 75 yrs into the future, employees will have to participate in Medicare for future health care needs, and mail service will be guaranteed for 6 day a week delivery to name a few aspects of this legislation. Yay! As far as Dejoy is concerned, his rear is still hanging around. Bah humbug!
Hallelujah! Has this passed in both Houses? Getting rid of that offensive 75-year-future funding of retirement fund is crucial and I love the provision re Medicare for employees.
Carol, I had this conversation yesterday at our rural post office. I was unaware that rural post offices do not provide vehicles for their delivery people. They use their own vehicles. They get a gas allowance which has not adjusted to the rising gas prices. What the hell !
The rural letter carriers used their own vehicles as far back as the Depression. My mother’s father was a rural letter carrier. There was even a Rural Letter Carriers Association. I saw photos of my grandparents at an association dinner.
Jenn, I did not know that until yesterday. Are they allotted the pension that "inside" postal workers get? I have a friend that has been with the Post Office 35 years and recently retired with a decent pension. I would hope they would receive that.
100,000 of them. It's outrageous. We've had a 2013 EV for six years. In the market now for a newer one. And trust me, charging them is a breeze compared to stopping at gas stations. According to our power company's smart meter, we spend $16 monthly to charge the car. Granted, we don't typically drive long distances during the pandemic.
Please convince me that EV works. I can see that if all your trips are within 10 miles of home, it is totally do-able. I have a 2002 hybrid and am happy to be able to gas up anywhere on long trips.
Frankly, your best bet is to buy a new or newish EV. The ranges have greatly increased. A challenge is that the very best EVs with the most range and other features are prohibitively expensive for many of us. That said, many new models have recently come on the market and more are scheduled later this year with ranges from 230 to 350 miles. This includes some priced in the $35,000 to $55,000 range. (Yes, still a lot of money but the savings knocks down the cost a lot — not just never having to buy gas but practically zero vehicle maintenance.)
Depending where you live, long trips are feasible if there are charging stations. They tend to be clustered in big cities and along heavily traveled interstate highways. Driving the length of the West Coast on I-5 is feasible. Newer model EV usually are equipped with fast-speed chargers that power up EVs to 80% of range in 30 minutes. Charging station locations are found easily online and in the cars themselves. Just takes a little advance planning.
And remember, buying a new EV (with a few exceptions) earns a $7,500 federal tax credit and in some places like Oregon a state credit. The federal credit is promoted in a misleading way, however. You're only eligible if you owe taxes at the end of the tax year. If you're withholding leaves you with a $1,000 bill, that's all you get for a tax credit. Again, you can plan for this financially to get the maximum credit.
Finally, driving an EV usually means you learn to drive differently to save power. Like avoiding fast takeoffs and coasting more, which regenerates the batteries. And I think EV drivers generally are cool not having some of the conveniences of gas cars because they know they not adding to greenhouse gases.
Carol C, yes, it makes no sense for the postal service to continue to use gasoline powered vehicles. But DeJoy is working for the rich oil companies that do not want the elimination of oil, since they rear they will be put out of business. Economically for the country and the climate, we must eliminate as much fossil fuel as possible as soon as we can. For money won't make any sense with world no longer a place in which to live.
Money-sickened idiot billionaires buy refuges in New Zealand, and spend on expanding human lifespans. (Their own, that is.) Mars? Not such a nice planet as the one we currently live on.
Sadly, both new and used vehicles are shockingly more expensive in recent months. I opted for older model turbo-diesel vehicles which get 40+ miles/gallon. Accruing the second 150k miles on those vehicles costs far less than payments and energy costs for a new vehicle, conventional or electric. One of them is blissfully "power nothing". You can't get a vehicle less than 15 years old that isn't tricked out with every manner of superfluous electronic gadgetry which can't be repaired by your local independent shop. Electric makes all the sense in the world from an environmental perspective, but the economics of new vehicle ownership are definitely not in our favor yet, even if electricity costs less than pumping fuel. At 60+ years of age, I could easily be over the rainbow bridge before recouping the capital cost of switching.
We are so, so, so lucky to have moved away from the U.S. where you had to drive everywhere. We walk now. Have no car. Do take trains and buses for traveling. Frank Lloyd Wright had a vision. I wish it had been embraced, but the oil companies tore up the cable car tracks in LA and made the city and country dependent upon cars and gas.
Yes, not my generation but in the 1930's, my Mother could take the "Red Line" from South Pasadena down to Long Beach to sing for a Big Band. A few of the old "Red Line" Right-of-Ways still exist. Another Red Line went out to Santa Monica.
It wasn't just the oil companies. The automotive companies were a driving force in buying up the land and tearing out rail lines to force the change to driving. Oil followed. Same thing happened in Denver. 50 years later, the movement began to rebuild those same rail lines, and expand into the metro and suburban area. I grew up primarily in Chicago area, where public transportation flourished. I was astounded when i moved to Denver in the late '70s to find that the local rail lines had been closed down. Short term selfish greed, repackaged and branded as a benefit.
I'm realizing we can use our car much less. Can walk to a small local grocery for a lot, and then only have to hit the larger store maybe once every 10-12 days. Fortunately, we have a Honda that gets great mileage, so that helps.
I love traveling in Europe, especially Portugal and Spain. The buses and trains are so easy, accessible and take you everywhere. Plus you can walk on the Camino trails for safe walking, too. My parents lived in LA area when the street car tracks were ripped out. The smog and traffic were not considered. I lived in California suburban areas with poor public transportation, also. And high speed trains are often voted down. The auto manufacturers had a great lobby and influence on our transportation choices.
We lived in LA and near San Diego. My grandfather worked in the oil fields near Long Beach. From childhood to adulthood I watched the changes in the air each time I went back. My mother said they use to ride bikes through orange groves from Long Beach to Culver City. Once Upon a Time SoCal was so beautiful. I miss friends and family, but would never go back.
I get about 50 miles/gallon in my hybrid. I decided to top it off before Texas does it’s faux shortage like it always does in a crisis. $25 for not quite 5 gallons. Yikes!
Well Denise..as we all pretty-much know (tho not "all" of us exactly, but U-Kno). People in EU and UK pay by the 'liter'.....hmmm, since we-uns ain't onto 'metric' ..yet..., "we-uns" don't have a clue as to what a liter (whatevahh) amounts to. And evan (<<nascar spellink) more-bettahh.., most folks couldn't give the proverbial "rats arse" about it..move on..., jayssusss!! Oh.. you want the answer (a few of you do..hahaha), there are 3.785 liters in one US Gallon. The cost per "liter" in US$ amounts to1.96 cents per liter. MY MY MY!.., that smells like $7.41 per US Gallon... whoaa!
Had to laugh about your comment. Having driven rental cars in Europe, mostly France & Italy, numerous times over several decades, it has always amused me to hear Americans gripe about the price of gas in the U.S.
I just went upstairs and got my photo of an Agip (gas station) sign along the Autostrada, taken about 2006 or 2007: 1.305 euro/litre. Multiplied by four that comes out to 5.22 euro for 4 liters. My guesstimate of exchange rate of 1.25 euro/1 dollar means we would have paid the equivalent of $6.52/4 liters, not even a full U.S. gallon of unleaded gas.
BTW, I have the photo because I have a little stuffed Agip 6-legged dog (Really. I looked it up!) like the one on the Agip station signs, picked up as a student in the early 1960s.
Thanks for your note Judith. Always good to see that "the Mad Russian" moniker doesn't turn folks off. Hah.., and the six legged dog.. a pal of the 4-wheeled man (in 1953). Thank you again for providing me yet another treat for my mind to play with. This site helps greatly.
My 2012 hybrid Prius is great in mountain areas or nonstop freeway driving. At least 50 mph and often significantly higher. Short trips not so much. It has 83,000 miles and runs like new. Fingers crossed. Gas today in Northern California rural town on the way up to Lake Tahoe: $5.24 gallon - credit card.
Wow! That mileage sounds like a record. Especially with original hybrid battery. You’re lucky. Hope you still have an energy efficient car. Gas is sky high already. I saw a FB picture from a community outside of Sacramento with gas for $6.71 gal. I know people who bought small van/motorhomes during the Pandemic. They will have big bills. But we’re lucky. We aren’t being bombed in America and I’ll pay and reduce my driving so we can make life better for the Ukrainians.
I laughed at the "rainbow bridge" addition! We are pretty back woods here in Indiana...so electric vehicles will probably be common in our area after I cross over the "rainbow bridge" for sure!
Same for me at 77. My 2014 Outback doesn't get the estimated in-town mileage but I drive so little in the past 2 years that costs haven't been onerous, esp. compared to costs relating to replacing it.
Solar is still expensive here in CA and Pacific Gas and Electric is trying to get those who have it to pay more. Actually, all of us are getting hit with exorbitant costs for running anything electric or gas. Our average monthly bill is $400 now. I am looking to buy an EV, hopefully this year, if it’s not cost prohibitive. The price of one is what I paid for my house in 1976. Ugh!
In Northern California: My friends who already have a Prius just bought a Tesla. I think about $35-$40,000. They had electricity rewired in their garage for charging. $10,000. Charging stations are everywhere, even in our rural town. The prices for these cars today are like home mortgages years ago. How do young families afford homes and cars that are energy efficient?
I agree! Here in the Bay Area, those are the families whose salaries are generated by Silicon Valley’s tech companies. They buy $1mil+ “Smart” homes, send their kids to private schools, and buy Teslas. I for one, will not be buying a Tesla. They are brilliantly made but knowing that Musk reaps tons of money just makes my skin crawl.
Simple answer there Irenie..They need to 'haul stuff' so a pu truck or a used SUV fills the bill.., until they find a decent place to live and generate a couple children.
Right. Everyone doesn’t have a hybrid or even a home. But the idea of affordable transportation, is more universal. Move from fossil fuels to alternative energy for our planet’s health. That has been a possibility for decades. And is political.
SDG&E is doing the same regarding solar, talk about $20/mo for residential users. On May 1, San Diego city will join other cities in SD County in a Community Choice Aggregation not-for-profit. The rate paid will be only pennies less per kWh but will disconnect from investor-owned SDG&E while supporting the evolution of the clean energy sector. San Diego Community Power is describe on its website:
"San Diego Community Power (SDCP) is a local provider of electricity that will serve our communities by bringing you cleaner energy at competitive rates. We will provide renewable electricity service to over 960,000 customer accounts in the cities of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa and San Diego starting in 2022, with the unincorporated communities of the County of San Diego and the City of National City served in 2023.
We provide you with reliable, affordable electricity from renewable sources. We are focused on what families need and want most when it comes to their energy."
Wish that was our county’s goal! We have quite a few affluent cities up here in the Bay Area where there is solar. PG&E has never been honest with their customers. Their rates have been predicated based on the lives they’ve killed such as dated equipment, explosions, fires due to faulty or neglected power lines. Not one person on mu street has solar. We are an old neighborhood with old charming homes lined with big trees. We do not have underground wiring who h is required with new builds. Many of our homes are heated with gas and we cook with it also.
Everyone I have talked to and they’re plenty of them, have told me not to lease but to purchase outright. I simply can’t do it this year because I need to trade in my gas guzzler (although I love it) for either a hybrid or an EV. Plus, being that we have lived in our almost 100 year old house for nearly 47 years, we now must redo our foundation. No easy fixes are what face us oldsters now.
I bought our 2013 Nissan Leaf in 2016 at the end of someone's three-year lease. It was a remarkably good deal. I found it at a very small dealer that deals exclusively in used EVs. And I hear you about old houses. Ours turns 100 this year. We've been in it 20 years. Many challenges along the way, though not something like replacing a foundation. Good luck.
The upcoming generations are being priced out of home purchases in California especially San Francisco and Bay areas. Palo Alto fixer-uppers are often $2-$3 million and may be remodeled or torn down. And then there’s a car to buy or support.
Might be worth recalculating. We have net metering in California, which is the essential factor. PG&E charges $10 a month for grid services, which is fair. Might go to $20 or more for grid connection to help pay for grid upgrades, such as buried lines, also fair. I get 90% of the electricity I use from seventeen 3’x6’ panels on my small, townhouse roof.
I'm with ya. We put solar on our garage in 2019 and last year bought an all-electric Mini Cooper (made more darling by being electric). The federal tax credits and local electrical company rebates (in Minnesota) lowered the cost of the solar panels, but the fact of driving off sun power feels redemptive enough to be worth it without the financial incentives. I am glad Biden pushes renewable energy even while being disappointed that there was nothing in the State of the Union address about climate chaos. Maybe too much on his plate just now to include that volatile issue. Thank you to the engineers who figured out solar power for earthlings!
KAA-BLAMMO...good shot there Sharon. The repubDUBS have infiltrated the minds of our young with their fraudulent sound-bites. And now we have the Trump-Church helping with Sunday School.
I so much wanted to buy an EV when I purchased a new car last June, but I live rurally and in an apartment. Currently there is no way to charge an EV. I am hoping for the future.
Some bicycle friends of mine recently spent a week in the Scottsdale Arizona area and observed that given the sunny environment they didn’t see any roof-top solar panels. Such a wasted opportunity
In 2012 we put in Geothermal heating and solar on our roof. In 2020 we bought our first electric car. Currently we are considering how we can disconnect from the grid and or at least have a solar backup solution. There are quite a few options. None of these were inexpensive but at the time the federal and state governments were giving rebates, the solar had options for leasing the equipment, and we were going to need to replace our furnace within a few years. Economically, our choices all cost us way less than the old 20th century solutions.
We have solar panels which we plan to expand and a Prius Prime. Since most of our driving is in city, we seldom buy gas. I was very happy to see this letter this am because I know that there's much misleading into out there in the R attempt to blame Biden.
I think the initial cost is an issue for many people I’ve talked to. Plus people are gun shy about trusting any direction the government says it’s going. Who knows if there will be another Trump type environmental rapist in office next time (highly likely). Look how people lost their solar tax credit during his admin!
I have a question. I heard on the news this morning that the price of electric cars will go up because nickel is one of the primary components of them and the major supply of nickel is in Russia. Does anyone know where else we can get this element from or if there is an alternative? I don’t know much about this.
Nickel is one of the elements in EV batteries, but it's a small portion of the total cost of a battery. EV prices are actually dropping, not going up, although demand can alter that to a degree. With higher gas prices, demand for EVs is definitely rising.
If you want a university-level understanding of batteries for EVs, watch this remarkable 53 minute story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM1fL5D1_W8. It will give you a thorough understanding of mining, manufacturing, and recycling of batteries.
What the Republican liars about the Keystone XL didn't say was that ALL OF THAT OIL was Canadian, and was destined for foreign sales, none of it for the U.S. We were just the territory it would ooze across, and be the ones who would deal with the inevitable leaks and oil spills in the middle of the Oglala Aquifier - which (barely now) keeps the farmers who are dumb enough to vote for that con artist in business as farmers.
That's right. Keystone was not benefitting the USA, it was all for oil company's convenience and would put our nation environment at the risk. Plus, it would have been one more way to hurt our indigenous people.
Yeh... the repubDUB Machine is still alive and, well here's their secret song: repub a Dub Dub, Better stay in the Tub, the MarA-Lago heard clicken.. is just a big chicken, so Stay in the tub.. give your friends a "rub"....rubba rubba we're all just DUBS. Thank you DUB's, now go home and FLUSH HARD it's a long way to mar a lago. So, there ya go Jeri, you are not in that DUB TUB, but you can still flush hard. I do.
James Hansen, the dean of climate scientists in America, said that oil from the Alberts tar sands would be so dirty, the Keystone XL pipeline would mean "game over" for the climate crisis. He said, "What makes tar sands particularly odious is that the energy you get out in the end, per unit carbon dioxide, is ... equivalent to burning coal in your automobile. We simply cannot be that stupid if we want to preserve a planet for our children and grandchildren."
The Republicans always have short pithy sound bites that resonate but are NOT true, and they repeat them endlessly. I have family members and neighbors who repeat R talking points verbatim. Argh! Thanks for your comment, TC. It is a short, sweet rebuttal to one stupid talking point, at least.
Ahhh "pithy".... "short pithy sound bites"...., let's trash that! And now!!! The News.... hahahahahaa what a freaking joke.. News? In 5 minutes or less? No wonder 'The DUBS' like the Faux News manure.. they eat it right up! Good Shot JennSH.....KABLAMMO.
Good shot there TC. Meat for SNL. Plus the simple fact that we have been a "Net" producer.., producing MORE than we can use (EX-PORTER!! of our own oil) So, if that's so...and it is, why is OUR price of oil /gasoline so high? Profit for the oil CEO's by sticking it to the World?? Help me understand this.... somebody please. Rock on TC!
It's explained in "Price Wars" by Rupert Russell,,, a fascinating expose of how ruthless speculators in the Commodities Market have a stranglehold on our world.
I was and am totally in favor of President Biden's move to freeze the permits for drilling rights on Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- and I hope that they will be forever frozen regardless of the financial hits that it may give the western states. They can find new ways to make money through more ecological and climate friendly measures. It is inconceivable that a wildlife refuge designation could be placed under such threats!!!
"On November 17, 2020, after he lost the election, former president Trump abruptly allowed oil and gas companies to pick out land for drilling rights on about 1.6 million acres of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Biden froze those permits as soon as he took office. Only about 10% of drilling takes place on public land, and there are currently about 9000 permits already issued that have not been developed."
As you have pointed out, Heather, there are several reasons for the hike in gas prices. Regardless of the reasons, If we have to pay sky high prices for gas at this point in time, and if it means that our tiny bit of hardship will help Ukraine in the long term, so be it! We can walk more, buy more electric cars, and think about the fact that others are suffering far more than us!
Thank you for your insightful analysis of the economic situation vis à vis gas prices this evening. What an eye opener! And, I fully agree with President Biden's solution to the problem!
"'[T]ransforming our economy to run on [electric vehicles], powered by clean energy, will mean that in the future, no one has to worry about gas prices.'"
"Our tiny bit of hardship." By George, I think you've got it. Americans in general tend to believe that, in our particular case, hardship = suffering. From that vantage point it is very difficult to engage with the people in Ukraine today. If high gas prices are the equivalent of dead children buried under the rubble. They flee their homes, only to be trapped and killed. It costs us more to drive to work. I realize this is an extreme way to think about the contrast, but sometimes I despair at this nation of whiners (myself included). Of course, the CEO's of the oil companies are making out like bandits.
Dr. Richardson, I am amazed at the amount of information you research, collect, parse, and assemble into something that is so brief (considering what you must start with and sift through) and understandable that even I can 'get it.' I reach this conclusion partially by looking at -- and sometimes following -- your MANY cites and sources. Several times I have imagined scores of student assistants or full-time staff devoted to your topic(s) of the day, maybe like a news staff working for a media journalist; else, how do you do it?
I won't pry any further into professional professorial trade secrets. It is enough for me to know that you do what you do, and why you do it -- to our great edification. And through us the truth travels far....
With my greatest admiration and thanks!
“It is enough for me to know that you do what you do, and why you do it -- to our great edification. And through us the truth travels far....” Yup.
I feel as if I am auditing an upper division history class here on this Letter. How she does it is a miracle to me, and I am ever so appreciative.
I've found no other source that provides both the clarity and context of HCR's morning letters. Thank you .
We are extraordinarily lucky to reap the benefits of Heather's knowledge, expertise and perspective. She is a treasured gift to us.
A national TREASURE, indeed. 👍
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I am in complete agreement.
Well said, Gus. Thank you, I wonder about this every day and couldn't have said it better! She is a gift!
Heather often says, "I read A LOT." She also has said, "I read fast." So it's quite possible that she pores through the daily news outlets and other sources on her own, but, yes, I can believe she may have students and staff assisting her.
Reading a lot is the only way to keep up, and outlining on the fly, and staying up half the night, and yes, assistants (volunteer or otherwise) to help with that would be my guess!
I installed solar in 2002 and bought my first electric car the same year. The money I saved by not buying gasoline and electricity paid for the solar in 2010. Since then, and for the rest of my life, I power my home, cars, and motorcycles on clean renewable energy - for free.
When I did it, solar was expensive and EVs were rare and costly. Today, solar is cheaper than grid power, and EVs are plentiful and on par with the cost of gas cars.
Going forward, our job is to never buy another gas car, and to the extent you have influence, don't let your friends, family, co-workers, or neighbors buy one either.
The US Postal service has ordered a new fleet of vehicles. Not electric, though that’s what Biden asked for. DeJoy’s handiwork, again. There has been a campaign to stop the order, email letters. Form letters not accepted. Can’t remember the recipient’s details.
DeJoy, chump’s gift that keeps on destroying
Absolutely! My mail service is so erratic that some days I don’t even get mail delivery.
Ditto. And then we might get 3 weeks worth of magazines etc in one delivery. And my health insurance folks don't understand why I won't get my meds thru the mail????
JennSH, I'll bet DeJoy would tell you that those days you don't get mail delivery there was nothing to deliver. DeJoy must go!!!
Yeah when do we get to dump his sorry arse?
We were discussing this yesterday. I cannot fathom how that <colorful adjective> individual is still in charge.
Morning, Ally! How appropriate this topic is. Yesterday, I received an email from Senator Mark Warner-VA, announcing the Senate just passed the Postal Service Reform Act. Here's the Twitter link: https://twitter.com/MarkWarner/status/1501339987358502912?s=20&t=11wvMX4v2xTz2fNz30-ZDw
And here's an article last February where Senator Whitehouse addressed the issue.
https://postaltimes.com/postalnews/senator-whitehouse-calls-for-confirmation-of-usps-board-of-governors-nominees-to-address-major-operational-problems-under-postmaster-general-dejoy/
Morning, Lynell! Thanks for the links.
No Joy has certainly been a part of the festering death star plan. I hope to see him gone soon. My LMT, a former postal worker calls him Destroy. Our mail delivery is OK. Our problem locally is people breaking into the postal boxes. Ours hasn't been.....yet.
President Biden will be getting a bipartisan bill to sign, finalized by the House, that will rectify a lot of what Republicans did in the past to throttle the Postal Service. There will be no more funding retirement 75 yrs into the future, employees will have to participate in Medicare for future health care needs, and mail service will be guaranteed for 6 day a week delivery to name a few aspects of this legislation. Yay! As far as Dejoy is concerned, his rear is still hanging around. Bah humbug!
Hallelujah! Has this passed in both Houses? Getting rid of that offensive 75-year-future funding of retirement fund is crucial and I love the provision re Medicare for employees.
Yep. It was a bipartisan pass in both the House/Senate, finalized in the House and was headed to Pres’s desk for signature ♥️!
Carol, I had this conversation yesterday at our rural post office. I was unaware that rural post offices do not provide vehicles for their delivery people. They use their own vehicles. They get a gas allowance which has not adjusted to the rising gas prices. What the hell !
It has been like that all my 78 years!
I was married to a mail carrier - well aware of the whole personal vehicle issue. Nothing has changed in that regard. Not for rural carriers.
The rural letter carriers used their own vehicles as far back as the Depression. My mother’s father was a rural letter carrier. There was even a Rural Letter Carriers Association. I saw photos of my grandparents at an association dinner.
Jenn, I did not know that until yesterday. Are they allotted the pension that "inside" postal workers get? I have a friend that has been with the Post Office 35 years and recently retired with a decent pension. I would hope they would receive that.
Arrrgggghhh!
100,000 of them. It's outrageous. We've had a 2013 EV for six years. In the market now for a newer one. And trust me, charging them is a breeze compared to stopping at gas stations. According to our power company's smart meter, we spend $16 monthly to charge the car. Granted, we don't typically drive long distances during the pandemic.
Please convince me that EV works. I can see that if all your trips are within 10 miles of home, it is totally do-able. I have a 2002 hybrid and am happy to be able to gas up anywhere on long trips.
Frankly, your best bet is to buy a new or newish EV. The ranges have greatly increased. A challenge is that the very best EVs with the most range and other features are prohibitively expensive for many of us. That said, many new models have recently come on the market and more are scheduled later this year with ranges from 230 to 350 miles. This includes some priced in the $35,000 to $55,000 range. (Yes, still a lot of money but the savings knocks down the cost a lot — not just never having to buy gas but practically zero vehicle maintenance.)
Depending where you live, long trips are feasible if there are charging stations. They tend to be clustered in big cities and along heavily traveled interstate highways. Driving the length of the West Coast on I-5 is feasible. Newer model EV usually are equipped with fast-speed chargers that power up EVs to 80% of range in 30 minutes. Charging station locations are found easily online and in the cars themselves. Just takes a little advance planning.
And remember, buying a new EV (with a few exceptions) earns a $7,500 federal tax credit and in some places like Oregon a state credit. The federal credit is promoted in a misleading way, however. You're only eligible if you owe taxes at the end of the tax year. If you're withholding leaves you with a $1,000 bill, that's all you get for a tax credit. Again, you can plan for this financially to get the maximum credit.
Finally, driving an EV usually means you learn to drive differently to save power. Like avoiding fast takeoffs and coasting more, which regenerates the batteries. And I think EV drivers generally are cool not having some of the conveniences of gas cars because they know they not adding to greenhouse gases.
Carol C, yes, it makes no sense for the postal service to continue to use gasoline powered vehicles. But DeJoy is working for the rich oil companies that do not want the elimination of oil, since they rear they will be put out of business. Economically for the country and the climate, we must eliminate as much fossil fuel as possible as soon as we can. For money won't make any sense with world no longer a place in which to live.
Money-sickened idiot billionaires buy refuges in New Zealand, and spend on expanding human lifespans. (Their own, that is.) Mars? Not such a nice planet as the one we currently live on.
Sadly, both new and used vehicles are shockingly more expensive in recent months. I opted for older model turbo-diesel vehicles which get 40+ miles/gallon. Accruing the second 150k miles on those vehicles costs far less than payments and energy costs for a new vehicle, conventional or electric. One of them is blissfully "power nothing". You can't get a vehicle less than 15 years old that isn't tricked out with every manner of superfluous electronic gadgetry which can't be repaired by your local independent shop. Electric makes all the sense in the world from an environmental perspective, but the economics of new vehicle ownership are definitely not in our favor yet, even if electricity costs less than pumping fuel. At 60+ years of age, I could easily be over the rainbow bridge before recouping the capital cost of switching.
We are so, so, so lucky to have moved away from the U.S. where you had to drive everywhere. We walk now. Have no car. Do take trains and buses for traveling. Frank Lloyd Wright had a vision. I wish it had been embraced, but the oil companies tore up the cable car tracks in LA and made the city and country dependent upon cars and gas.
Yes, not my generation but in the 1930's, my Mother could take the "Red Line" from South Pasadena down to Long Beach to sing for a Big Band. A few of the old "Red Line" Right-of-Ways still exist. Another Red Line went out to Santa Monica.
And my grand parents when they were teenagers.
It wasn't just the oil companies. The automotive companies were a driving force in buying up the land and tearing out rail lines to force the change to driving. Oil followed. Same thing happened in Denver. 50 years later, the movement began to rebuild those same rail lines, and expand into the metro and suburban area. I grew up primarily in Chicago area, where public transportation flourished. I was astounded when i moved to Denver in the late '70s to find that the local rail lines had been closed down. Short term selfish greed, repackaged and branded as a benefit.
I'm realizing we can use our car much less. Can walk to a small local grocery for a lot, and then only have to hit the larger store maybe once every 10-12 days. Fortunately, we have a Honda that gets great mileage, so that helps.
"Carpool for Ukraine!" Divide the cost of gas by the number of people in the car. That's what we are really paying per gallon.
Also important is the speed at which you drive. Nobody is talking about "Drive 55."
My 2010 Honda CRV is worth it’s weight in gold! Good gas mileage and has only about 40,000 miles on it. No way am I buying a new car!
Our Honda is 2015 with bells and whistles, as well as great gas mileage. 50K miles. Wouldn't trade it for the world.
Where did you move? I see the building in Ukraine that have been hit and think that living in high rise homes would not be safe!
Jacques Fresco also had a vision… https://g.co/kgs/9y2C6v
I love traveling in Europe, especially Portugal and Spain. The buses and trains are so easy, accessible and take you everywhere. Plus you can walk on the Camino trails for safe walking, too. My parents lived in LA area when the street car tracks were ripped out. The smog and traffic were not considered. I lived in California suburban areas with poor public transportation, also. And high speed trains are often voted down. The auto manufacturers had a great lobby and influence on our transportation choices.
We lived in LA and near San Diego. My grandfather worked in the oil fields near Long Beach. From childhood to adulthood I watched the changes in the air each time I went back. My mother said they use to ride bikes through orange groves from Long Beach to Culver City. Once Upon a Time SoCal was so beautiful. I miss friends and family, but would never go back.
Where is this Shangri-la?
My L.A. husband would second that motion, and he’s still angry about it at the age of 94!
I'm not sure about the recouping theory. I'm getting 76 miles/gallon on my hybrid.
I get about 50 miles/gallon in my hybrid. I decided to top it off before Texas does it’s faux shortage like it always does in a crisis. $25 for not quite 5 gallons. Yikes!
Well Denise..as we all pretty-much know (tho not "all" of us exactly, but U-Kno). People in EU and UK pay by the 'liter'.....hmmm, since we-uns ain't onto 'metric' ..yet..., "we-uns" don't have a clue as to what a liter (whatevahh) amounts to. And evan (<<nascar spellink) more-bettahh.., most folks couldn't give the proverbial "rats arse" about it..move on..., jayssusss!! Oh.. you want the answer (a few of you do..hahaha), there are 3.785 liters in one US Gallon. The cost per "liter" in US$ amounts to1.96 cents per liter. MY MY MY!.., that smells like $7.41 per US Gallon... whoaa!
Had to laugh about your comment. Having driven rental cars in Europe, mostly France & Italy, numerous times over several decades, it has always amused me to hear Americans gripe about the price of gas in the U.S.
I just went upstairs and got my photo of an Agip (gas station) sign along the Autostrada, taken about 2006 or 2007: 1.305 euro/litre. Multiplied by four that comes out to 5.22 euro for 4 liters. My guesstimate of exchange rate of 1.25 euro/1 dollar means we would have paid the equivalent of $6.52/4 liters, not even a full U.S. gallon of unleaded gas.
BTW, I have the photo because I have a little stuffed Agip 6-legged dog (Really. I looked it up!) like the one on the Agip station signs, picked up as a student in the early 1960s.
Thanks for your note Judith. Always good to see that "the Mad Russian" moniker doesn't turn folks off. Hah.., and the six legged dog.. a pal of the 4-wheeled man (in 1953). Thank you again for providing me yet another treat for my mind to play with. This site helps greatly.
My 2012 hybrid Prius is great in mountain areas or nonstop freeway driving. At least 50 mph and often significantly higher. Short trips not so much. It has 83,000 miles and runs like new. Fingers crossed. Gas today in Northern California rural town on the way up to Lake Tahoe: $5.24 gallon - credit card.
My last Prius had 360,000 miles on it, ran great, and got about 53 mpg. The battery never needed replacing.
I'll be at the pump in a couple days. Who knows what the gas will be then in SF Bay Area!
Wow! That mileage sounds like a record. Especially with original hybrid battery. You’re lucky. Hope you still have an energy efficient car. Gas is sky high already. I saw a FB picture from a community outside of Sacramento with gas for $6.71 gal. I know people who bought small van/motorhomes during the Pandemic. They will have big bills. But we’re lucky. We aren’t being bombed in America and I’ll pay and reduce my driving so we can make life better for the Ukrainians.
I laughed at the "rainbow bridge" addition! We are pretty back woods here in Indiana...so electric vehicles will probably be common in our area after I cross over the "rainbow bridge" for sure!
Same for me at 77. My 2014 Outback doesn't get the estimated in-town mileage but I drive so little in the past 2 years that costs haven't been onerous, esp. compared to costs relating to replacing it.
Solar is still expensive here in CA and Pacific Gas and Electric is trying to get those who have it to pay more. Actually, all of us are getting hit with exorbitant costs for running anything electric or gas. Our average monthly bill is $400 now. I am looking to buy an EV, hopefully this year, if it’s not cost prohibitive. The price of one is what I paid for my house in 1976. Ugh!
In Northern California: My friends who already have a Prius just bought a Tesla. I think about $35-$40,000. They had electricity rewired in their garage for charging. $10,000. Charging stations are everywhere, even in our rural town. The prices for these cars today are like home mortgages years ago. How do young families afford homes and cars that are energy efficient?
I agree! Here in the Bay Area, those are the families whose salaries are generated by Silicon Valley’s tech companies. They buy $1mil+ “Smart” homes, send their kids to private schools, and buy Teslas. I for one, will not be buying a Tesla. They are brilliantly made but knowing that Musk reaps tons of money just makes my skin crawl.
Simple answer there Irenie..They need to 'haul stuff' so a pu truck or a used SUV fills the bill.., until they find a decent place to live and generate a couple children.
Right. Everyone doesn’t have a hybrid or even a home. But the idea of affordable transportation, is more universal. Move from fossil fuels to alternative energy for our planet’s health. That has been a possibility for decades. And is political.
SDG&E is doing the same regarding solar, talk about $20/mo for residential users. On May 1, San Diego city will join other cities in SD County in a Community Choice Aggregation not-for-profit. The rate paid will be only pennies less per kWh but will disconnect from investor-owned SDG&E while supporting the evolution of the clean energy sector. San Diego Community Power is describe on its website:
"San Diego Community Power (SDCP) is a local provider of electricity that will serve our communities by bringing you cleaner energy at competitive rates. We will provide renewable electricity service to over 960,000 customer accounts in the cities of Chula Vista, Encinitas, Imperial Beach, La Mesa and San Diego starting in 2022, with the unincorporated communities of the County of San Diego and the City of National City served in 2023.
We provide you with reliable, affordable electricity from renewable sources. We are focused on what families need and want most when it comes to their energy."
Wish that was our county’s goal! We have quite a few affluent cities up here in the Bay Area where there is solar. PG&E has never been honest with their customers. Their rates have been predicated based on the lives they’ve killed such as dated equipment, explosions, fires due to faulty or neglected power lines. Not one person on mu street has solar. We are an old neighborhood with old charming homes lined with big trees. We do not have underground wiring who h is required with new builds. Many of our homes are heated with gas and we cook with it also.
Some companies are offering lease program, which easily transfer if you sell a house.
Everyone I have talked to and they’re plenty of them, have told me not to lease but to purchase outright. I simply can’t do it this year because I need to trade in my gas guzzler (although I love it) for either a hybrid or an EV. Plus, being that we have lived in our almost 100 year old house for nearly 47 years, we now must redo our foundation. No easy fixes are what face us oldsters now.
I bought our 2013 Nissan Leaf in 2016 at the end of someone's three-year lease. It was a remarkably good deal. I found it at a very small dealer that deals exclusively in used EVs. And I hear you about old houses. Ours turns 100 this year. We've been in it 20 years. Many challenges along the way, though not something like replacing a foundation. Good luck.
Can’t❤️your statement! Thank you!
The upcoming generations are being priced out of home purchases in California especially San Francisco and Bay areas. Palo Alto fixer-uppers are often $2-$3 million and may be remodeled or torn down. And then there’s a car to buy or support.
To clarify: lease programs for solar panels, not cars.
Might be worth recalculating. We have net metering in California, which is the essential factor. PG&E charges $10 a month for grid services, which is fair. Might go to $20 or more for grid connection to help pay for grid upgrades, such as buried lines, also fair. I get 90% of the electricity I use from seventeen 3’x6’ panels on my small, townhouse roof.
I'm with ya. We put solar on our garage in 2019 and last year bought an all-electric Mini Cooper (made more darling by being electric). The federal tax credits and local electrical company rebates (in Minnesota) lowered the cost of the solar panels, but the fact of driving off sun power feels redemptive enough to be worth it without the financial incentives. I am glad Biden pushes renewable energy even while being disappointed that there was nothing in the State of the Union address about climate chaos. Maybe too much on his plate just now to include that volatile issue. Thank you to the engineers who figured out solar power for earthlings!
The poor man has so much on his plate! And he is doing a wonderful job in spite of the Republicans rejecting him at every turn!
KAA-BLAMMO...good shot there Sharon. The repubDUBS have infiltrated the minds of our young with their fraudulent sound-bites. And now we have the Trump-Church helping with Sunday School.
I see it here in Indiana!
I love my EV and I'm never going back. I posted today telling people now is the perfect time to make the switch.
I so much wanted to buy an EV when I purchased a new car last June, but I live rurally and in an apartment. Currently there is no way to charge an EV. I am hoping for the future.
Some bicycle friends of mine recently spent a week in the Scottsdale Arizona area and observed that given the sunny environment they didn’t see any roof-top solar panels. Such a wasted opportunity
Rethug legislature. No net metering, which is essential.
In 2012 we put in Geothermal heating and solar on our roof. In 2020 we bought our first electric car. Currently we are considering how we can disconnect from the grid and or at least have a solar backup solution. There are quite a few options. None of these were inexpensive but at the time the federal and state governments were giving rebates, the solar had options for leasing the equipment, and we were going to need to replace our furnace within a few years. Economically, our choices all cost us way less than the old 20th century solutions.
We have solar panels which we plan to expand and a Prius Prime. Since most of our driving is in city, we seldom buy gas. I was very happy to see this letter this am because I know that there's much misleading into out there in the R attempt to blame Biden.
I think the initial cost is an issue for many people I’ve talked to. Plus people are gun shy about trusting any direction the government says it’s going. Who knows if there will be another Trump type environmental rapist in office next time (highly likely). Look how people lost their solar tax credit during his admin!
I have a question. I heard on the news this morning that the price of electric cars will go up because nickel is one of the primary components of them and the major supply of nickel is in Russia. Does anyone know where else we can get this element from or if there is an alternative? I don’t know much about this.
Nickel is one of the elements in EV batteries, but it's a small portion of the total cost of a battery. EV prices are actually dropping, not going up, although demand can alter that to a degree. With higher gas prices, demand for EVs is definitely rising.
If you want a university-level understanding of batteries for EVs, watch this remarkable 53 minute story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM1fL5D1_W8. It will give you a thorough understanding of mining, manufacturing, and recycling of batteries.
Sudbury, ON Canada is called the mining capital of the world; it mines and refines Nickel.
Here is a good chart. According to it, Brazil is on par with Russia, then Switzerland at half their market. Then seven other countries make up the rest of the nickel mining companies. https://elements.visualcapitalist.com/the-worlds-largest-nickel-mining-companies/
What the Republican liars about the Keystone XL didn't say was that ALL OF THAT OIL was Canadian, and was destined for foreign sales, none of it for the U.S. We were just the territory it would ooze across, and be the ones who would deal with the inevitable leaks and oil spills in the middle of the Oglala Aquifier - which (barely now) keeps the farmers who are dumb enough to vote for that con artist in business as farmers.
That's right. Keystone was not benefitting the USA, it was all for oil company's convenience and would put our nation environment at the risk. Plus, it would have been one more way to hurt our indigenous people.
Win-win for Repub evil
Grrrrr
Yeh... the repubDUB Machine is still alive and, well here's their secret song: repub a Dub Dub, Better stay in the Tub, the MarA-Lago heard clicken.. is just a big chicken, so Stay in the tub.. give your friends a "rub"....rubba rubba we're all just DUBS. Thank you DUB's, now go home and FLUSH HARD it's a long way to mar a lago. So, there ya go Jeri, you are not in that DUB TUB, but you can still flush hard. I do.
People were protesting the lack of jobs at that time.
Yes, they were, but most of or the only jobs that would have been created would have been temporary construction jobs.
Yes, and there was a ton of complaining about the loss of these temporary jobs.
... this, in the most stable economy in the wealthiest of all nations ...?
👍🙄👌🙄👍
Thankfully the point turned out to be moot.
James Hansen, the dean of climate scientists in America, said that oil from the Alberts tar sands would be so dirty, the Keystone XL pipeline would mean "game over" for the climate crisis. He said, "What makes tar sands particularly odious is that the energy you get out in the end, per unit carbon dioxide, is ... equivalent to burning coal in your automobile. We simply cannot be that stupid if we want to preserve a planet for our children and grandchildren."
As I've said many times, our descendants will loathe us — for centuries — is they even survive this act of inexplicable self-destruction.
The Republicans always have short pithy sound bites that resonate but are NOT true, and they repeat them endlessly. I have family members and neighbors who repeat R talking points verbatim. Argh! Thanks for your comment, TC. It is a short, sweet rebuttal to one stupid talking point, at least.
Once it was called spin; now it's "getting the optics right"
Ahhh "pithy".... "short pithy sound bites"...., let's trash that! And now!!! The News.... hahahahahaa what a freaking joke.. News? In 5 minutes or less? No wonder 'The DUBS' like the Faux News manure.. they eat it right up! Good Shot JennSH.....KABLAMMO.
Good shot there TC. Meat for SNL. Plus the simple fact that we have been a "Net" producer.., producing MORE than we can use (EX-PORTER!! of our own oil) So, if that's so...and it is, why is OUR price of oil /gasoline so high? Profit for the oil CEO's by sticking it to the World?? Help me understand this.... somebody please. Rock on TC!
It's explained in "Price Wars" by Rupert Russell,,, a fascinating expose of how ruthless speculators in the Commodities Market have a stranglehold on our world.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57925998-price-wars
PROFIT for CEOs
Price-gouging that should be against the law but isn’t.
If I am not mistaken the crude that would be shipped was super volatile so very dangerous to the communities it passed.
Exactly!
I was and am totally in favor of President Biden's move to freeze the permits for drilling rights on Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- and I hope that they will be forever frozen regardless of the financial hits that it may give the western states. They can find new ways to make money through more ecological and climate friendly measures. It is inconceivable that a wildlife refuge designation could be placed under such threats!!!
"On November 17, 2020, after he lost the election, former president Trump abruptly allowed oil and gas companies to pick out land for drilling rights on about 1.6 million acres of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Biden froze those permits as soon as he took office. Only about 10% of drilling takes place on public land, and there are currently about 9000 permits already issued that have not been developed."
As you have pointed out, Heather, there are several reasons for the hike in gas prices. Regardless of the reasons, If we have to pay sky high prices for gas at this point in time, and if it means that our tiny bit of hardship will help Ukraine in the long term, so be it! We can walk more, buy more electric cars, and think about the fact that others are suffering far more than us!
Thank you for your insightful analysis of the economic situation vis à vis gas prices this evening. What an eye opener! And, I fully agree with President Biden's solution to the problem!
"'[T]ransforming our economy to run on [electric vehicles], powered by clean energy, will mean that in the future, no one has to worry about gas prices.'"
"Our tiny bit of hardship." By George, I think you've got it. Americans in general tend to believe that, in our particular case, hardship = suffering. From that vantage point it is very difficult to engage with the people in Ukraine today. If high gas prices are the equivalent of dead children buried under the rubble. They flee their homes, only to be trapped and killed. It costs us more to drive to work. I realize this is an extreme way to think about the contrast, but sometimes I despair at this nation of whiners (myself included). Of course, the CEO's of the oil companies are making out like bandits.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼❤️❤️❤️🏆🏆🏆