Oil Falls to $50.50 PB

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp?id=2005041311000001586141&dt=20050413110000 ^ | 4/13/05 | conservativeinferno

[2 Kool 2 Be 4-Gotten]

Wow, that's interesting - you know I did wonder why there are a lot of small operators in this business as opposed to a few big ones. I guess it didn't just happen this way. Is this a federal law or a state law? BTW I happen to know that NJ is a state that has some interesting differences with the rest of the country (I don't live there but have been through it).

It seems that the state cut of the gas price is lower in NJ thus lowering prices there thus encouraging people from other states to go there to fill up.

OTOH to some greater or lesser extent they don't have self service in NJ - it must be full service. I think this may only apply to the NJ Turnpike stations and not all stations in NJ but it is certainly true when you gas up on the NJ turnpike.

I also think (as has been pointed out many times before) that a lot of the problem is a shortage of refinery capacity AND the myriad of individual state requirements as to how each state wants their gas formulated.

If I were king of the world I would build more refineries and define one standard for gas that would apply in all 50 states.