What Will You Pay at the Pumps Tomorrow?
Dear Partners of ROUSH CleanTech,
It’s a turbulent time in the Middle East. Or should I say a more turbulent time. The threat of retaliation against Syria is rattling the foreign oil market. Analysts predict oil prices could go up to $125 to $130 per barrel, currently about $108, if the crisis filters into larger oil producing countries. Americans are seeing some increase at the gasoline and diesel pump, but it’s predicted to rise even more.
Although Syria is not a major exporter of oil, that country’s president has an ally in Iran. And Iran controls the Straits of Hormuz. According to Forbes, this waterway sees 17 percent of the globe’s oil supplies. Any major conflict at the Straits could plunge the U.S. back into recession.
So, my question is this: Why? Why do we depend on foreign countries for our main energy supplies? Why are we not focusing more on what is produced here in the U.S.?
The good news is that we do have transportation energy alternatives like compressed natural gas and propane autogas.
Here are some facts about one of our nation’s domestic fuels, propane autogas:
- As the leading alternative fuel both in the United States and the world, it ranks as the third most commonly used vehicle fuel behind gasoline and diesel.
- More than 90 percent of the United States propane autogas supply is produced domestically, with an additional 7 percent from our Canadian friends.
- Almost 75 percent of propane used in the U.S. comes from natural gas refining, and the remaining comes from petroleum during the refining process.
- So far in 2013, the United States has exported an average of 250,000 barrels of propane each month.
Take ThyssenKrupp Elevator, for example. The company’s fleet of 54 propane autogas vehicles displaces about 108,000 gallons of gasoline each year. And, ThyssenKrupp is saving more than $224,000 per year in fuel costs. ThyssenKrupp Elevator relies on this domestic resource to keep its business running.
It’s time — well past time — for the United States to trust its own fuel supplies to provide energy security for its citizens. Call us today at 800.59.ROUSH to learn more about vehicles fueled by propane autogas — a readily available, abundant American-made fuel source.
Sincerely,
Todd Mouw
