Jeff Whilden: Taking advantage
August 7, 2008
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Craig — To the editor:
The Editorial Board was right on complaining about prices in Craig, even if they did not know where the load came from. Sunday, the price of gas in Steamboat was $4.15 and in Craig $4.43, a difference of 28 cents a gallon. It costs about $2.50 a mile to move freight by truck or $112.50 to get from Steamboat to Craig. A tanker hauls around 5,000 gallons, so someone is making a tidy $1,287.50 per load of gas sold in Craig. Also, remember that the price of everything (labor, real-estate, etc.) is much higher in Steamboat, so the profit on gas in Craig is probably even higher.
Gas in Fort Collins was $3.77. Add the extra shipping cost to Craig, $2.50 a mile, that would mean we should be paying $3.84 a gallon for gas in Craig based on Fort Collins prices.
We have had enough of being fed the bovine manure stories about why we pay more for gas in Craig. Some unscrupulous people are simply taking advantage of us.
Jeff Whilden
Craig
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7 August 2008 at 12:42 a.m.
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Patrick (Anonymous) says…
Hot dang that was good. I brought up the fact to the editor Bryce and Collin about the tanker goes through Steamboat to get to Craig. They actually posed it as a question because they didn't know. I told them that wasn't the impression I got though. Anyway, I had broken my shoulder on Tuesday so I didn't get to read the rough draft. I want to thank you for the numbers in your letter. I called around and no one would talk to me.
If their going to rip us off at least we can make them famous for it. Thanks a bunch!
Patrick Wayne Germond
7 August 2008 at 9:23 a.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
its worse than it looks Pat tankers can and do haul more than 5000 gallons
7 August 2008 at 9:27 a.m.
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xrsareus (Anonymous) says…
“Big Oil” has no problem braging on their record profits every quarter. What about big oil in Craig? I thought our fuel came from Sinclair Wy. I think that the distance would be shorter than Denver to Steamboat or really close. So why are the prices so much higher? Come on Craig gas stations, IF???? you have nothing to hide and you are not making a killing off of we consumers, show us, inform us. Don't you think your customers deserve answers? Your honest answers may get people off of you backs.
7 August 2008 at 11:04 a.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
OK that will be enough about big oil. I'm part of the dirty bunch who cheat you on your prices at the gas pump. So I just went to my web site and looked up the prices for 87 oct. and 92 oct. gas. At the refinery 87 is 2.9918 a gallon, 92 is 3.0618 a gallon. Now factor in your shipping on top of that. most stores will tell you they only make from five to ten cents per gallon for every gallon sold. by the way diesel which is easier to refine than gas out the door at the refinery is 3.26 a gallon. you want to blame some one remember that everytime you point the finger at some one there are three pointing back at you. big suvs, muscle cars, everyone wanted more power. everyone forgot gas lines in the seventy's. remember that? when there was just the big three? then what happened? some little cheap jap cars started getting imported the had stinking motorcycle sized engines in them and great milage is what happened. you want to drive your eight mile to the gallon escalade or whatever schoolbus sized suv then do it but realize that in a global market with other huge growing economies out there we don't have a corner on the market on the oil scene anymore and if you don't want it China or India will buy it gladly. ten percent profit margin is a crime now? check that profit margin out compared to some of the others out there. How about that profit margin on good old i'm for the poor people John Edwards hedge fund 87% profit margin. wow hes hurting lets tax the hell out of him.
7 August 2008 at 6:50 p.m.
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Patrick (Anonymous) says…
The problem with big oil is simple and the same as Craig. There's to little competion. Big oil was made by the tree huggers. They resrticted and regulated till only the few biggest boys were left. You can't hate them if your a democrat bcause democrats made them. If you want it screwed up let the government get involved. That's why at the age of 39 and having seen what I've seen. I want the Colorado Oil and Gas Commission to stay the heck out of Moffat County. We got this.
7 August 2008 at 9:28 p.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
Pat are you from here? meaning no disrespect but we are almost the same age and I don't remember you. But thats another point. way back when there was a gas station where chapmans is another where jw snacks is, there by the court house there was two then down by the new dentists office there was one then the amico before ranney. buger king was once a gas station , then by craig ford another. NONE of these were the same brand name gas. and craig was still the most expensive gas for miles around. lots of competion no breaks. because where the hell else are you going to go?
8 August 2008 at 12:30 a.m.
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Patrick (Anonymous) says…
I see, I don't know what the heck then. I'll just hide and watch on that issue.
I'm from Washington, Nevada, Utah, and in 1995 I moved to Craig. I love it here. Oh, I've lived where there are more mountains and trees but this place is crazy when it comes to good jobs and high pay. The college is why I'm staying now so I can help my 5 kids get a good start. Plus, moving around alot tends to scatter a family as they leave home so I'm planning to stay put.
8 August 2008 at 12:05 p.m.
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harkner (Neal Harkner) says…
Actually Pat, environmentalists didn't make big oil. Big oil existed long before tree huggers. How do you think the Rockefellers (Standard Oil) and the Gettys (Getty Oil) made all their money? Between 1882 and 1906 Standard Oil made $838,783,800. Can you imagine the billions/hundreds of billions that would be using today's dollar value?
Even if we opened up every square inch of this country for oil exploration, our reserves wouldn't even come close to satisfying our demand for oil. We don't have the oil and we never will.
I'm all for increased drilling, even maybe some ANWR drilling but I'd like the disingenuous rhetoric to stop. Rex Tillerson of ExxonMobil doesn't want to drill in ANWR because he sympathizes with the average Joe. He wants to drill in ANWR because he can get the oil out of the ground for around $20 a barrel and turn around and sell it to the Chinese for $115 a barrel.
8 August 2008 at 9:02 p.m.
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lonelyone (Anonymous) says…
Boy 50cal, my husband and kids moved here in 79 and I sure don't remember some of those stations. I wish you had more info on them as I think it is kind of fun to find out what was what and when it was there.
9 August 2008 at 12:11 a.m.
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Patrick (Anonymous) says…
Harkner, I agree the Oil companies want the biggest profit they can get. I feel however if we had more supply and more companies it would be lower. But that's my opinion, not a fact. It should work that way but doesn't always.
I do know the “drill here drill now” is different than what we're doing now. We just have to remember unlike our fathers that this time we need to develop other alternative even once the heat is off. I will donate to the Sierra Club myself if we start to drop the ball on that. I owe it to my children.
9 August 2008 at 4:42 a.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
Lonely I will have to defer the names to grannyrett. I was little back then but she remembers. I can also tell you this Craig had its own little refinery in the 40s and 50s fight down where fleishlie is now on first street. I'm all for drill here drill now but the oil in anwar should have stipulations stating that the oil does not go into to international markets. It stays here. Ameica needs to start taking care of herself first.
9 August 2008 at 6:14 a.m.
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grannyrett (Anonymous) says…
50-It seems that I heard that the oil from the Alaska pipeline all goes to foreign countries. Do you know about that? I like the “Drill here, drill now” petition. We signed it. BUT, it doesn't do much good if all the oil is sent to other countries. The Alaskan Pipeline is very impressive. The safeguards built into it are very impressive. It doesn't bother the wildlife, and they are very comfortable around it. That is the kind of planning we need to do with all of our encroachment into the wilderness. Not just oil companies, but all kinds of building in wilderness. If they could do it 30 years ago, they can do it now.
9 August 2008 at 11:20 a.m.
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xrsareus (Anonymous) says…
Ok, here we go, Now this is going to hurt my brain but for the old times this is what I remember…. East to West, There was a gas station were Chapman’s is, were JW Snacks is, where the Smoker Friendly is, the Conoco, were Lube Plus is, were New Images is and the Mexican restaurant, a then across the street (don’t know what that building is now), then the flower shop, then the old Amaco, then across the street (Red’s building), then at the old Burger King, then at the old Jim’s tire, And also north were Northwest glass is. This was in the early 70’s. I think the refinery was in the area of Trapper health club, Magnum Metals. I wasn’t born yet for that.
Now to respond to 50cal, I think it is all about greed, like I said big oil boasts about their profit’s, I might be wrong but I see profits as after everything else is taken care of, the overhead costs, like paying off the politicians, and the 3 or 4 figure CEO’s. You don’t hear the big oil boasting about making more refinery’s or upgrading the existing one’s that are way behind times. And I do know about the gas rationing in the 70’s. I worked at Jerry’s Texaco (JW Snacks). I remember only getting a 1,000 gallons of gas for the day, rationing gas at 2 gal per customer, telling people traveling thru they will have to stop at each station to get enough to make it to the next town. Opening the gas pumps so the workers on the Hayden power plant could get to work and then closing them for the rest of the day. I think that was big oil also showing the country who the boss is. The Craig gas stations should be honest and tell us how the whole process works if they are not suffering from greed. Now how about sharing the web site where you got your gas price information? If you say is true the price of gas in Craig should go up and down just as the price’s you quoted should go up and down. Now all of this is my opinion, the right to say in which we have country. Have a good day!!!!
9 August 2008 at 7:28 p.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
your right the prices should go up and down but the last time I checked kum and go was not big oil their corprate offices set the price for their gas pumps not exxonmobil. oil companies are greedy? well lets see who goes into business to not make money? of course they want money. Now 72% of exxonmobil is owned by mutual fund investors and 401k retirement funds SO if you think that it is fat cat oilmen making all that money then quit listening to the main stream media and look at a financial statement. so the teachers up at the school are BIGOIL? how about the employees of the powerplant and trapper mine? Colowyo or any other companies with retirement plans are big oil? how about the emplyees of the hospital or our county and city employees? Look every ceo at every oil company is hired with a benifit package approved by the shareholders of that company if they decide to pay someone the wages then its their money not yours.
Big oil does not boast about their big profits they release a financial statement like any other public company and then congress raises hell about it so you and I will think they are doing their jobs.
Are you serious? give you access to a private website with trade secrets and details of financial happenings on it? come on man you been around misterkindbuds?
Tell you what I will do I will find you a site that you can access and post it here.
9 August 2008 at 8:39 p.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
OK so now that I ranted let me tie that together when i'm not so stand offish.
People have bought cars and trucks once again that get terrible milage. That was my tie in with the little jap cars of the seventies. even in the eighties I had a pontiac grand am with a four cylinder engine that regularly got between 32 and 34 mpg. Dodge put a 12 valve cummins engine in their pickups that would get 22 to 24 mpg. What happened? Everyone wanted more power V6 in the same little car and a 24 valve deisel in the pickup. power went up fuel economy went down. Soccer moms went from a minivan with desent milage to a ford excusion with terrible milage. That is simple supply side economics. as the demand goes up so does price.
Throw in another factor and you have trouble. supply goes down. just like in the seventies the supply has gone down even with more domestic drilling, why? because the united states now imports seventy percent of our oil on an open market system. whats the differance? We now have two burgoning economies out there to compete with that we didn't used to, china and india. we cannot put any pressure on opec like we used to because they have differant markets to sell to now.
Refineries? well when you are buying the product at 120.00 a barrel it is not going to matter on the price side how many refineries you have. you might lose a little due to shipping fees and having a refinery closer to you but not much here because there is no compition and we have corprate offices telling managers what the people here are willing to pay or drive 42 miles to pay.
Grannyrett, there is indeed foreiners who buy the oil coming down the alaska pipeline. The japanize helped finance the building of the pipeline and as part of the contract they were entitled to buy a set amount of oil coming through the port as a way of ensuring japan had a secure means of access to oil.
The alaska pipeline started out shipping 2.1 million bbls of oil a day it is now down to about 750,000 a day now when it gets down to 300,000 bbls per day it will no longer be deemed profitable to keep in use anymore and will be shut down.
Just curious does anyone know who the oil companies have contributed more to McCain or Obama?
9 August 2008 at 9:44 p.m.
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lonelyone (Anonymous) says…
X, you didn't mention the little gas station on north Yampa that was called C and C Northside Market. I worked there when we came to Craig. I loved the Camp family………well most of them!!! ;o)
Boy is that alot of stations for such a small town. Interesting.
9 August 2008 at 9:44 p.m.
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xrsareus (Anonymous) says…
Thank you 50, I guess I just don't have a clue. Did I get any on the old gas stations in the right place? Have a good night.
9 August 2008 at 10:33 p.m.
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xrsareus (Anonymous) says…
Oh yea, forgot about that one lonelyone.
I agree with to many back then, and gas was still high with all of the competion. There is just something about Craig and high prices I guess. We may never know the true answer.
10 August 2008 at 4:59 a.m.
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grannyrett (Anonymous) says…
Craig had so many gas stations because highway 40 was a main highway. I-70 wasn't completed then, and it was easier to go 40. Lot's of people came through Craig going to Denver. We used to have to go over Rabbit Ears and Berthoud Passes. When they opened Eisenhower Tunnel, that changed everything. When they finished the interstate through Glenwood Canyon, that just finished it. So, now we are more isolated, and the major gas stations died.
10 August 2008 at 6:48 p.m.
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50cal (Anonymous) says…
got the gas stations in the right place but i'm just trying to point out that this is a problem with many answers. one is the fact that craig has always been higher than any of the surrounding towns. One fact that was writen here is about driving thru one town to get to another. when I was driving I always stopped in dinosaur. Met a friend there once who was driving for a company from grand junction. had came thru craig and dropped off some fuel there first. at the time dinosaur was cheaper on fuel than craig. Why? vernal is 33 miles away and much cheaper. Craig is just far enough away so they believe they have you over a barrel. if you drive to steamboat thats fine get gas there but there are many that don't.