The Painful Economics of Gas
By Mark S. Cogan / Curry County Reporter, OR
"James Atherton rolls in to fill up his big Duramax diesel Chevrolet pickup, a `Ron Paul for President' sign strapped to the tailgate."
Jim Turner and his wife Deb have owned the Shell station in Gold Beach for many years. It's changed its name a couple of times (it used to be a Texaco station) but it doesn't matter. The product is still the same. It's just gas. Locals and tourists come and go. James Atherton rolls in to fill up his big Duramax diesel Chevrolet pickup, a ‘Ron Paul for President' sign strapped to the tailgate. Turner's been in the gas business a long time, but that business is changing. Curry County residents aren't filling up like they used to. Turner's station can handle up to 25,000 gallons of fuel, but he never orders more than 11,000. Sales at the Shell station are down almost 25 percent over the last year or so—consistent with recent economic turbulence. A gallon of 87-octane unleaded fuel costs $3.59 a gallon. Four-dollar gas is on the horizon.
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Posted by Editor at March 26, 2008 06:59 PM
