Hot Fuel.
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Hot Fuel.
Not getting what you pay for.....
I thought this would interest everybody. it should anyway.
http://www.landlinemag.com/Special_R...ot_fuel_ed.htm
Everybody should be aware of this one. I have notice gas has come down in the last few days.
David
I thought this would interest everybody. it should anyway.
http://www.landlinemag.com/Special_R...ot_fuel_ed.htm
Everybody should be aware of this one. I have notice gas has come down in the last few days.
David
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Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 30,255
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That temperature compensation device will just allow the stations another place to "adjust" the fuel pumps to cheat. Some stations break the seals on the volume adjustments as soon as the weights and measures guys drive off. I have seen that myself at one low price station.
As an "old timer" I was always told to buy my fuel early in the day. Of course this was a saying resulting from the old glass reservoir fuel dispensing pumps....
Then there is the... "and never right after the transport truck visited." This was two fold in that the truck was loaded with hot fuel that was sitting in a tank under the sun and also the fuel entering the tank stirred up the sediments and water on the bottom of the tank.
It is funny that people get all upset over this but they add alcohol to the fuel which lowers the equivalent energy also, but any complaints are drowned out by shouts of "home grown energy"...
It all adds up to not getting what you are paying for.
As an "old timer" I was always told to buy my fuel early in the day. Of course this was a saying resulting from the old glass reservoir fuel dispensing pumps....
Then there is the... "and never right after the transport truck visited." This was two fold in that the truck was loaded with hot fuel that was sitting in a tank under the sun and also the fuel entering the tank stirred up the sediments and water on the bottom of the tank.
It is funny that people get all upset over this but they add alcohol to the fuel which lowers the equivalent energy also, but any complaints are drowned out by shouts of "home grown energy"...
It all adds up to not getting what you are paying for.
Last edited by Torque1st; Sep 1, 2006 at 05:14 AM.
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From: Cornelius, Oregon
yeah, I took a 5 gallon gas can to a local station once and it was only 3/4 full when the pump said 5 gallons. But without anything to "proove" where the 5 gallon mark was I was S-O-L. I should have called the state inspectors office, but I figured it was too much hassle and I just wouldn't buy gas there any more.
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I believe what they are talking about is deliberately heating the fuel to increase profits. There is a difference in fuel sitting above ground in a tank, or in a fuel tanker that is heated by the rays.
Fuel doesnt sit around anymore. To much demand, but old tricks being applied to scam the consumer.
Here is the original story....
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/...970&p_docnum=6
<CENTER>Hot fuel triggers investigation
One state decides to pursue the gas-pumping problem after an inquiry by The Star finds it's costing consumers $2.3 billion a year.
STEVE EVERLY</CENTER>
One state decides to pursue the gas-pumping problem after an inquiry by The Star finds it's costing consumers $2.3 billion a year.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
The California attorney general's office has launched an investigation of gas stations and truck stops selling "hot" fuel to consumers without making adjustments for changes in fuel volume.
Tom Dressler, a spokesman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer, said on Monday that his office will investigate whether any state laws or regulations were broken. The attorney general also plans to make recommendations on how the problem can be fixed.
The action comes in response to a series in The Kansas City Star describing how gasoline and diesel retailers profit from selling fuel that is hotter than the 60-degree standard agreed to by the industry and government regulators nearly a century ago.
Drawing on a fuel temperature database compiled by a federal agency, and adjusting for state-by-state fuel temperatures and consumption patterns, The Star estimated that hot fuel was costing consumers in the United States about $2.3 billion annually at recent prices. The financial impact in California, which uses more gasoline than any other state, accounted for more than $500 million of that figure.
The Star's series also described methods that could be used to address the hot-fuel problem.
In Hawaii, for example, the state requires that retailers dispense 234 cubic inches per gallon, rather than the 231 cubic inches dispensed in the rest of country, to compensate for hot fuel.
In Canada, where cold fuel once cost retailers money, the industry has supported a voluntary program to retrofit pumps to automatically adjust volumes to account for temperature change. The Star estimated that such a technological fix would cost $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion in the United States.
"It's a simple principle. You should get what you pay for," said Dressler, adding that it was "most disturbing" the major oil companies and other retailers were "nickel and diming" Californians while posting record profits.
The American Petroleum Institute (API), which represents the oil industry, has argued that the hot-fuel problem is "negligible" and wasn't worth fixing, citing the high cost of retrofitting the country's gas and diesel pumps. The API also has argued that consumers would be confused by fuel dispensers that adjust the volume of fuel pumped for temperature variation.
"It doesn't make sense," Prentiss Searles, a senior associate for marketing issues with API, recently told The Star.
Dressler said the attorney general rejected the notion that U.S. consumers would get confused by purchasing gas adjusted for temperature, especially since it is already done in Canada.
"Our consumers are just as smart as those north of the border," he said.
Announcement of the attorney general's investigation followed letters sent by The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights to the attorney general, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman.
"It's outrageous that Americans, who are already paying too much for their gasoline so oil companies can make billions in profits, cannot rely on an honest measurement for every gallon of gasoline they pump," wrote Jamie Court, president of the Santa Monica-based consumer advocacy group, in a letter to Schwarzenegger.
Bill Maile, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger, said the governor had not received the letter and could not respond until it had been reviewed.
The physics behind hot fuel are fairly simple. At the standard of 60 degrees, a 231-cubic-inch gallon of fuel delivers a certain amount of energy. At 90 degrees, however, the same gallon of fuel expands to more than 235 cubic inches. Because consumers are still buying 231-cubic-inch gallons, hot fuel forces them to spend more to obtain the same amount of energy.
The Star's series estimated that U.S. consumers overall are paying annually for an additional 760 million gallons of gasoline and diesel because of fuel being sold above the 60-degree standard. A study of 1,000 gas stations and truck stops in 48 states and the District of Columbia by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that fuel is being sold at an average of 64.7 degrees when averaged across the country and year-round.
Consumers in some northern states with cooler climates actually benefit from buying cold fuel. But those savings are minuscule compared with the additional money paid out by consumers in more heavily populated, hotter states elsewhere in the country. In Kansas and Missouri, for example, consumers pay an estimated $12 million and $15 million extra annually buying hot fuel.
The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said it would prefer to see pumps retrofitted to automatically adjust the fuel's volume for any difference in temperature from the 60-degree standard. If that isn't done, the group believes the 60-degree standard should be changed to more accurately reflect the temperature of fuel. In the early 1970s, for example, Hawaii changed the size of its gallon based on the assumption of 80-degree fuel.
Court, of The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, called hot fuel an "outrageous overcharge of American motorists." In his letter to Schwarzenegger, Court called adoption of temperature-adjusting pumps in California a "no-brainer."
In his letter to Schwarzenegger, Court also noted that the governor had received more than $2 million in campaign contributions from oil companies.
"Now is the time to do it," Court said in an interview with The Star. "And if it doesn't happen it's because of the power of the oil industry."
@Go to KansasCity.com to read more about hot fuel, the industry's stance on the issue and The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights letters to the California attorney general, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.
"It's a simple principle. You should get what you pay for."
-- Tom Dressler, spokesman for the California attorney general
To reach Steve Everly, call (816) 234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com. HOTFUEL29_08-29-2006_BPNKJA0.xml</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Fuel doesnt sit around anymore. To much demand, but old tricks being applied to scam the consumer.
Here is the original story....
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/...970&p_docnum=6
<CENTER>Hot fuel triggers investigation
One state decides to pursue the gas-pumping problem after an inquiry by The Star finds it's costing consumers $2.3 billion a year.
STEVE EVERLY</CENTER>
One state decides to pursue the gas-pumping problem after an inquiry by The Star finds it's costing consumers $2.3 billion a year.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
The California attorney general's office has launched an investigation of gas stations and truck stops selling "hot" fuel to consumers without making adjustments for changes in fuel volume.
Tom Dressler, a spokesman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer, said on Monday that his office will investigate whether any state laws or regulations were broken. The attorney general also plans to make recommendations on how the problem can be fixed.
The action comes in response to a series in The Kansas City Star describing how gasoline and diesel retailers profit from selling fuel that is hotter than the 60-degree standard agreed to by the industry and government regulators nearly a century ago.
Drawing on a fuel temperature database compiled by a federal agency, and adjusting for state-by-state fuel temperatures and consumption patterns, The Star estimated that hot fuel was costing consumers in the United States about $2.3 billion annually at recent prices. The financial impact in California, which uses more gasoline than any other state, accounted for more than $500 million of that figure.
The Star's series also described methods that could be used to address the hot-fuel problem.
In Hawaii, for example, the state requires that retailers dispense 234 cubic inches per gallon, rather than the 231 cubic inches dispensed in the rest of country, to compensate for hot fuel.
In Canada, where cold fuel once cost retailers money, the industry has supported a voluntary program to retrofit pumps to automatically adjust volumes to account for temperature change. The Star estimated that such a technological fix would cost $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion in the United States.
"It's a simple principle. You should get what you pay for," said Dressler, adding that it was "most disturbing" the major oil companies and other retailers were "nickel and diming" Californians while posting record profits.
The American Petroleum Institute (API), which represents the oil industry, has argued that the hot-fuel problem is "negligible" and wasn't worth fixing, citing the high cost of retrofitting the country's gas and diesel pumps. The API also has argued that consumers would be confused by fuel dispensers that adjust the volume of fuel pumped for temperature variation.
"It doesn't make sense," Prentiss Searles, a senior associate for marketing issues with API, recently told The Star.
Dressler said the attorney general rejected the notion that U.S. consumers would get confused by purchasing gas adjusted for temperature, especially since it is already done in Canada.
"Our consumers are just as smart as those north of the border," he said.
Announcement of the attorney general's investigation followed letters sent by The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights to the attorney general, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman.
"It's outrageous that Americans, who are already paying too much for their gasoline so oil companies can make billions in profits, cannot rely on an honest measurement for every gallon of gasoline they pump," wrote Jamie Court, president of the Santa Monica-based consumer advocacy group, in a letter to Schwarzenegger.
Bill Maile, a spokesman for Schwarzenegger, said the governor had not received the letter and could not respond until it had been reviewed.
The physics behind hot fuel are fairly simple. At the standard of 60 degrees, a 231-cubic-inch gallon of fuel delivers a certain amount of energy. At 90 degrees, however, the same gallon of fuel expands to more than 235 cubic inches. Because consumers are still buying 231-cubic-inch gallons, hot fuel forces them to spend more to obtain the same amount of energy.
The Star's series estimated that U.S. consumers overall are paying annually for an additional 760 million gallons of gasoline and diesel because of fuel being sold above the 60-degree standard. A study of 1,000 gas stations and truck stops in 48 states and the District of Columbia by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that fuel is being sold at an average of 64.7 degrees when averaged across the country and year-round.
Consumers in some northern states with cooler climates actually benefit from buying cold fuel. But those savings are minuscule compared with the additional money paid out by consumers in more heavily populated, hotter states elsewhere in the country. In Kansas and Missouri, for example, consumers pay an estimated $12 million and $15 million extra annually buying hot fuel.
The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights said it would prefer to see pumps retrofitted to automatically adjust the fuel's volume for any difference in temperature from the 60-degree standard. If that isn't done, the group believes the 60-degree standard should be changed to more accurately reflect the temperature of fuel. In the early 1970s, for example, Hawaii changed the size of its gallon based on the assumption of 80-degree fuel.
Court, of The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights, called hot fuel an "outrageous overcharge of American motorists." In his letter to Schwarzenegger, Court called adoption of temperature-adjusting pumps in California a "no-brainer."
In his letter to Schwarzenegger, Court also noted that the governor had received more than $2 million in campaign contributions from oil companies.
"Now is the time to do it," Court said in an interview with The Star. "And if it doesn't happen it's because of the power of the oil industry."
@Go to KansasCity.com to read more about hot fuel, the industry's stance on the issue and The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights letters to the California attorney general, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.
"It's a simple principle. You should get what you pay for."
-- Tom Dressler, spokesman for the California attorney general
To reach Steve Everly, call (816) 234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com. HOTFUEL29_08-29-2006_BPNKJA0.xml</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Last edited by dtherren; Sep 1, 2006 at 07:08 PM.
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Another one. Actually this is the original story....
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/...C8&p_docnum=10
<CENTER>Political eyes on hot fuel
Senate candidate McCaskill wants gas pumps fixed to prevent overcharges.
STEVE EVERLY </CENTER>
Hot fuel emerged as an issue Tuesday in the campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
Claire McCaskill, the Democratic candidate, said that as senator she would support requiring fuel retailers to install new or retrofit existing pumps to automatically adjust for temperature variation to prevent "hot fuel scams" from continuing.
She also criticized her opponent, Republican Sen. Jim Talent, for supporting tax credits and subsidies to the oil industry even as they are making record profits, saying in a statement that Congress "bends over backwards to protect" the energy industry.
"Clearly, someone needs to step forward and take up the cause," McCaskill said. "Now we find out that we're not even getting a gallon when we pay for a gallon."
A spokesman for Talent, who is a member of the Senate Energy Committee, did not return calls seeking comment.
McCaskill's comments were in response to a series in The Kansas City Star describing how gasoline and diesel retailers profit from selling fuel that is hotter than the 60-degree standard agreed to by the industry and government regulators nearly a century ago. The Star estimated that hot fuel was costing consumers in the United States about $2.3 billion annually at recent prices.
At the standard of 60 degrees, a 231-cubic-inch gallon of fuel delivers a certain amount of energy. At 90 degrees, however, the same gallon of fuel expands to more than 235 cubic inches. Because consumers are still buying 231-cubic-inch gallons, hot fuel forces them to spend more to obtain the same amount of energy.
The Star's series estimated that U.S. consumers overall are paying annually for an additional 760 million gallons of gasoline and diesel because of fuel being sold above the 60-degree standard. A study of 1,000 gas stations and truck stops in 48 states and the District of Columbia by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that fuel is being sold at 64.7 degrees when averaged across the country and year-round.
In Kansas and Missouri, The Star estimated, consumers respectively pay an estimated $12 million and $15 million extra annually buying hot fuel.
In California, where consumers pay an estimated $500 million extra a year for hot fuel, the attorney general's office has launched an investigation of the issue.
The Star's series also described methods that could be used to address the hot fuel problem.
In Hawaii, for example, the state requires that retailers dispense 234 cubic inches per gallon to compensate for hot fuel.
In Canada, where cold, condensed fuel once cost retailers money, the industry has supported a voluntary program to retrofit pumps to automatically adjust volumes to account for temperature change. The Star estimated that such a technological fix would cost $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion in the U.S.
The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil industry, opposes temperature adjustment for retail sales of gasoline and diesel. The institute argues that it would cost too much to fix a "negligible" problem, and that consumers would be too confused by pumps that automatically adjust the volume of gasoline pumped to compensate for temperature changes.
Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program for Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington, said Tuesday that hot fuel probably would be an issue when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day. His group supports fixing the problem.
"It's clear that consumers need this," Slocum said. "We ll be raising it along with other issues."
U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, a Democrat from Kansas, said in a statement Tuesday that Congress should take a hard look at legislation addressing the "hot fuel" problem.
"To me it's a simple matter of fairness," Moore said.
U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, a Democrat from Missouri, said pressure also needs to be exerted on state regulators who oversee the country's weights and measures standards.
"This is the first I ve read about this," Carnahan said. "There needs to be a fix here."
"Clearly, someone needs to step forward and take up the cause. Now we find out that we're not even getting a gallon when we pay for a gallon."
-- Claire McCaskill
To reach Steve Everly, call (816) 234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/...C8&p_docnum=10
<CENTER>Political eyes on hot fuel
Senate candidate McCaskill wants gas pumps fixed to prevent overcharges.
STEVE EVERLY </CENTER>
Hot fuel emerged as an issue Tuesday in the campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri.<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
Claire McCaskill, the Democratic candidate, said that as senator she would support requiring fuel retailers to install new or retrofit existing pumps to automatically adjust for temperature variation to prevent "hot fuel scams" from continuing.
She also criticized her opponent, Republican Sen. Jim Talent, for supporting tax credits and subsidies to the oil industry even as they are making record profits, saying in a statement that Congress "bends over backwards to protect" the energy industry.
"Clearly, someone needs to step forward and take up the cause," McCaskill said. "Now we find out that we're not even getting a gallon when we pay for a gallon."
A spokesman for Talent, who is a member of the Senate Energy Committee, did not return calls seeking comment.
McCaskill's comments were in response to a series in The Kansas City Star describing how gasoline and diesel retailers profit from selling fuel that is hotter than the 60-degree standard agreed to by the industry and government regulators nearly a century ago. The Star estimated that hot fuel was costing consumers in the United States about $2.3 billion annually at recent prices.
At the standard of 60 degrees, a 231-cubic-inch gallon of fuel delivers a certain amount of energy. At 90 degrees, however, the same gallon of fuel expands to more than 235 cubic inches. Because consumers are still buying 231-cubic-inch gallons, hot fuel forces them to spend more to obtain the same amount of energy.
The Star's series estimated that U.S. consumers overall are paying annually for an additional 760 million gallons of gasoline and diesel because of fuel being sold above the 60-degree standard. A study of 1,000 gas stations and truck stops in 48 states and the District of Columbia by the National Institute of Standards and Technology found that fuel is being sold at 64.7 degrees when averaged across the country and year-round.
In Kansas and Missouri, The Star estimated, consumers respectively pay an estimated $12 million and $15 million extra annually buying hot fuel.
In California, where consumers pay an estimated $500 million extra a year for hot fuel, the attorney general's office has launched an investigation of the issue.
The Star's series also described methods that could be used to address the hot fuel problem.
In Hawaii, for example, the state requires that retailers dispense 234 cubic inches per gallon to compensate for hot fuel.
In Canada, where cold, condensed fuel once cost retailers money, the industry has supported a voluntary program to retrofit pumps to automatically adjust volumes to account for temperature change. The Star estimated that such a technological fix would cost $1.4 billion to $1.9 billion in the U.S.
The American Petroleum Institute, which represents the oil industry, opposes temperature adjustment for retail sales of gasoline and diesel. The institute argues that it would cost too much to fix a "negligible" problem, and that consumers would be too confused by pumps that automatically adjust the volume of gasoline pumped to compensate for temperature changes.
Tyson Slocum, director of the energy program for Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington, said Tuesday that hot fuel probably would be an issue when Congress reconvenes after Labor Day. His group supports fixing the problem.
"It's clear that consumers need this," Slocum said. "We ll be raising it along with other issues."
U.S. Rep. Dennis Moore, a Democrat from Kansas, said in a statement Tuesday that Congress should take a hard look at legislation addressing the "hot fuel" problem.
"To me it's a simple matter of fairness," Moore said.
U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan, a Democrat from Missouri, said pressure also needs to be exerted on state regulators who oversee the country's weights and measures standards.
"This is the first I ve read about this," Carnahan said. "There needs to be a fix here."
"Clearly, someone needs to step forward and take up the cause. Now we find out that we're not even getting a gallon when we pay for a gallon."
-- Claire McCaskill
To reach Steve Everly, call (816) 234-4455 or send e-mail to severly@kcstar.com.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Last edited by dtherren; Sep 1, 2006 at 07:09 PM.
