[ale] OT: gas going up this weekend

[Tom Freeman]

On Thu, 28 Apr 2011, Tim Watts wrote:

> On Wed, 2011-04-27 at 23:50 -0400, Michael Potter wrote:
>>>> On Wednesday, April 27, 2011 09:53:21 am Tim Watts wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> 3-5 cents/gallon I can deal with. And at least I know it's coming. It's
>>>>
>>>>> the random/inexplicable 25-45 cent/gallon hikes that grab me by the
>>>>
>>>>> shorts.
>>
>>
>> $0.04/gal * 15 gal = $0.60.
>
> $1.75 = cup of coffee
>
> Isn't this tax hike the annual increase the occurs each year when
> stations switch to the lower lead mixes that are less polluting during
> the hotter months of the year? And then the tax goes down again when
> they switch back in the fall, if I'm not mistaken. So $0.60 = chipping
> in for cleaner air each time I fill. Not bad.

Last I checked, there hasn't been a leaded fuel available for something 
like twenty years. The summer fuel is formulated with more oxygen 
containing compounds like ethers and alcohols. These result in lower 
emissions which lead to the formation of photochemical smog.