AP -- SINGAPORE (AP) -- Oil fell to a seven-month low near $91 a barrel Wednesday in Asia after Iran agreed to allow the U.N. nuclear agency to restart an investigation into the country's nuclear program.

Benchmark oil for July delivery was down 57 cents to $91.28 a barrel at midday Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.01 to settle at $91.85 in New York on Tuesday. Brent crude for July delivery was down 55 cents at $107.86 per barrel in London.

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Yukiya Amano said Tuesday that his investigators will have access to Iranian sites, scientists and documents in an effort to ensure the Middle Eastern country isn't developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear program is only for power and medica  (read more)

Springfield News-Sun -- SPRINGFIELD — Gas prices have fallen in the past week, but with holiday traveling ahead drivers will likely pay more at the pump.

According to GasBuddy.com, the average price for a regular gallon of gas was $3.63 in the Springfield-Dayton area. Prices started the day a bit lower in Clark County, where many stations listed gas for $3.59 a gallon Tuesday morning. By 3 p.m., several stations had jumped to $3.79 a gallon.

More people plan to hit the road between Thursday and Monday for Memorial Day weekend, which could increase demand for fuel and raise prices, according to AAA.

The motoring club projects 34.8 million Americans, including more than 1.3 million Ohioans, will travel 50 miles or more this weekend, an increase of 1.2 percent over travelers last year.

Patrick DeHaan, senior  (read more)

USA today -- raffic congestion dropped 30% last year from 2010 in the USA's 100 largest metropolitan areas, driven largely by higher gas prices and a spotty economic recovery, according to a new study by a Washington-state firm that tracks traffic flows.
That was the largest drop since the nation plunged into recession in December 2007.
Of the 100 most populous metro areas, 70 saw declines in traffic congestion while just 30 had increases, says Jim Bak, co-author of the 2011 U.S. Traffic Scorecard for Kirkland, Wash.-based INRIX.
That was a reversal of what happened in 2010, when 70 had increases in congestion and 30 had declines. Tampa had the biggest increase in congestion, and Minneapolis the biggest drop.
Gridlock central

The USA's 10 worst metro areas for traffic congestion (2010 ranking in paren  (read more)

LA Times -- That ray of light you see peeking through all the clouds darkening California's future? That's the sun. More specifically, solar power, in which California is the hands-down national leader.

The state's installed solar generating capacity of about 1.2 gigawatts — the equivalent of two big conventional power plants and enough to fill the electrical demand from nearly 200,000 homes for a year — easily outstrips the next 10 highest-ranked states. It's also the fastest-growing solar market in the country.

So you may not be surprised to learn that California's big utilities are fighting like mad to keep a lid on that growth. The most important battle in that war is scheduled for this week, with California's continued primacy as a solar state hanging in the balance. More than bragging rights  (read more)

Forbes -- Silicon Valley electric-car builder Tesla Motors announced it would begin shipping its long awaited Model S luxury sedan to dealers beginning on June 22, which is a month ahead of its original schedule.

The Model S is the first all-electric luxury car to be built from the ground up, with seating for as many as five adult passengers and two children, the latter via optional jump seats. With prices starting at a reasonable $57,400 and running all the way up to a staggering $105,400, the car almost seems too good to be true. Perhaps it is – only time will tell.

The sedan’s 435-horsepower electric powertrain is claimed to enable a 0-60 mph sprint in as little as 4.4 seconds. Tesla will offer a choice of three different battery packs, with each delivering progressively greater range and power  (read more)

Huffington Post -- WASHINGTON -- The Natural Resources Defense Council on Tuesday released a report dispelling the myth that the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline would lower gas prices. Rather, the opposite is true, findings show.

On a conference call with reporters on Tuesday, report author and NRDC attorney Anthony Swift called the pipeline's impact on gasoline prices "one of the most misunderstood issues surrounding the proposed Keystone XL," adding that when TransCanada originally proposed the pipeline, they pitched it as a way to increase the cost of oil in the United States, providing increased revenue for Canadian producers. Since then, proponents of the pipeline in the United States have pitched it as a means of decreasing U.S. gasoline prices.

Swift's study examined these two conflicting cl  (read more)

USA Today -- he United States has agreed to sell unarmed surveillance drones to Iraq's navy as part of an effort to help protect that nation's oil exports amid growing tensions in the Persian Gulf and to strengthen U.S.-Iraqi ties.

"They understand the importance of the mission to protect its oil platforms," said Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, who heads the U.S. Office of Security Cooperation-Iraq.
The office, which operates out of the U.S. Embassy and manages U.S. military sales programs in Iraq, confirmed the sale of drones but declined to say the model or number of drones that are part of the contract.
The drones will allow Iraq's military to keep a continuous watch over its oil terminals within Iraqi territorial waters of the Persian Gulf, where a significant portion of the world's oil originates ..  (read more)

Boston.com -- State may require reviews of impact before construction

Days after state environmental officials found unacceptable noise levels from wind turbines in Falmouth, they are considering new regulations that would require the state to review potential noise issues before wind turbines are built in Massachusetts.

The state might also conduct sound studies in other communities, such as Fairhaven and Kingston, where residents, as in Falmouth, have complained about newly installed turbines, officials said.  (read more)

Zecco -- The weekly average prices of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) kept falling to 107.45 U.S. dollars per barrel last week, reaching its lowest point of this year, the Vienna-based cartel said Monday.

During the second half of 2011, OPEC oil price kept falling with fluctuation, dropping to 107.22 dollars a barrel in the last week of 2011.

Since the beginning of 2012, its oil price had continued to climb to 123.79 dollars a barrel on the third week of March. Subsequently, however, the OPEC oil price kept dropping, falling by more than 13 percent during the following nine weeks.

Last week, the unfavorable economic situation especially the increasing concerns about the European debt crisis remained as the major factor causing a drop in oil price.

 (read more)

NJ.COM -- No greater fraud has ever been inflicted on the motoring public than ethanol.

Ethanol exists as a motor fuel only because the agribusiness lobby has bought a bunch of congressmen as well as a bunch of environmentalists to promote the idea that it is a sound alternative to gasoline.

It's not. Ethanol costs more than gas but has only two-thirds of the energy per unit of volume.

The lobby is in the process of buying enough votes in Congress to force us to use E-15, a fuel in which there is only 85 percent gasoline.

On Sunday the New York Times carried this article showing the harm that can be done to engines by E-85:

either the Environmental Protection Agency was hasty in authorizing the sale of the fuel blend or the study’s authors produced “junk science,”  (read more)

Marketwatch -- Nearly six in ten Americans (59%) have cut back on non-essential spending since the beginning of 2012 due to high gasoline prices, according to new research released today by Bankrate.com

"Despite the fact that oil prices are currently near six-month lows, consumers are still clearly feeling the impact of elevated gas prices in an environment of stagnant wages," said Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate.com's senior financial analyst.

As of April 30th (just before the data was collected), the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.83. In May 2011, when the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.96, Bankrate.com found that 63% of American households were cutting their non-essential spending due to high gas prices.

 (read more)

Power Engineering -- Atomic energy is unavoidable if humanity wants to rid of CO2 emissions and ensure sustainable energy supply. Hydropower and biofuel may supplement atomic energy, while solar and wind power can hardly be an option, Global Energy Award Committee member, President of the Science Council for Global Initiatives Tom Blees said.

Germany and Denmark have spent more than 100 billion euros on solar and wind energy projects, which have catastrophic results from the economic point of view, he said. The experiment displayed that solar and wind energy were unable as yet to provide humanity with power, but it would take time to convince Germany and Denmark of that, he added.

Blees noted that the German intention to close down nuclear power plants and to build gas and coal plants instead would increase  (read more)

NBC12 -- RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) -

Maybe you've gotten one of those car warranty expiration offers in the mail. Consumer advocates say many of them are traps, attempts to get you to sign up for something you may not need or you could end up with little coverage. We found out how the offers end up in your mailbox and how to determine a real, versus a deceptive offer.

If you have car, there's a good chance one of these offers has popped-up in your mail. They grab your attention with phrases like, request for immediate action or time sensitive material enclosed. The pitch, your car warranty is about to expire and they can provide coverage. Michael Allen, with Virginia Auto Dealers Association says be suspicious. He says, "If you see and envelope and you can't tell who it is from, that should send up a  (read more)

TBN Weekly -- Back in January and February, analysts were predicting that gas prices would be $4 a gallon by Memorial Day. They were wrong.

As of May 20, the U.S. average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.69, which is 20 cents lower than the same time last year. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, this is the first time since June 2011 that gas prices have decreased for six or more consecutive weeks.

Floridians are paying an average of $3.55 – 30 cents less than the same date last year. Local prices are down to an average of $3.47, a savings of 34 cents a gallon from 2011.

Still, Americans are likely to stay closer to home this Memorial Day holiday. AAA is projecting only a 1.2 percent increase in people traveling more than 50 miles from home over last year.

“The  (read more)

GasBuddy Blog -- In a move aimed at saving lives, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently proposed a new federal standard that would require electronic stability control (ESC) on large commercial trucks, motorcoaches, and other large buses.

According to the agency, the technology, once implemented, could prevent up to 56% of rollover crashes each year, and 14% of loss of control crashes.

"The Department and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have long recognized the potential impact of stability control technology in reducing deaths and serious injuries that result from rollover crashes," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "Today's proposal is a major step forward to improving the safety of large commercial...  (read more)

CFACT News -- Federal appeals court judges recently heard a challenge to the Obama EPA’s approval of E15, a blend of 85 percent gasoline and 15 percent ethanol, to be sold in cars from the model year 2001 and newer. EPA claims it has the power under the Clean Air Act (CAA) to grant waivers allowing the sale of the new blend in certain vehicles. Currently, ethanol is not allowed to comprise more than 10 percent of the fuel when it is blended with gasoline sold at the pump.  (read more)

Green Car Reports -- Hybrid vehicles cost more upfront than comparable gasoline models, but get better fuel economy.

So will you save money in the long run?

To make the comparisons easier and more accurate, the FuelEconomy.gov site has launched a new comparison tool that provides a "Years to Payback" number based on the manufacturer's quoted base prices and the EPA gas-mileage ratings for comparable hybrids and non-hybrids.

The new comparison tool can be found by clicking on the "Hybrids Can Save You Money" menu option.  (read more)

The Baltimore Sun -- A theft this month of 311 gallons of gasoline from a station in Baltimore is one in a series of similar incidents, according to the station's owner, who says people have been disabling pumps and allowing friends and relatives to fill their tanks for free

Mehdi Rezakhan, who owns BP stations in Remington and East Baltimore, said each businesses has been hit once, and stations owned by friends have been taken several times, one for 1,800 gallons of gasoline.

On Saturday, city police could confirm only one theft at Rezakhan's BP station in Remington, which occurred either May 6 or May 7. Police reported no suspects and said they had no idea how the thieves stole such large amounts of gasoline.

But Rezakhan, 35, said he suspected someone with knowledge of pumps was using a hammer ...  (read more)

TribLive -- If you're lucky enough to live in some parts of the United States, you may see gas pump prices fall to about $3.25 a gallon or less in the next week or two. Even West Coast drivers should get some relief from prices that are still above $4 a gallon.

Retail gasoline prices dropped by a penny to a national average of $3.71 per gallon on Friday. That's 22 cents less than the high of $3.94 per gallon reached in early April. Lower oil prices are the main reason. Weaker demand is also helping reduce prices, as consumers watch their spending in the sluggish economic recovery.

Motorists on the West Coast, in Illinois and New York pay the most for gas -- from $3.83 per gallon to $4.54 per gallon -- according to AAA, Wright Express and the Oil Price Information Service. The lowest prices, ...  (read more)

NPR -- For years, Cushing, Okla., has been on the receiving end of a 500-mile pipeline funneling oil from the Gulf of Mexico to the American heartland.

Starting this weekend, that pipeline will start moving crude in the other direction. That flow reversal could soon have implications at gas pumps around the country.

"For 40 years, crude oil flowed north," says Philip Verleger, a visiting fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. "Today, oil flows south. It's as if we turned the world upside down."

Until recently, it was assumed the days of oil-drilling booms in the middle of North America were over. But controversial practices, like mining the oil sands of Alberta and hydraulic fracturing, are changing that.  (read more)

The Washington Post -- Eds: Edits fourth paragraph to clarify Memorial Day weekend prices expected to be $3.60 a gallon or a little bit higher.

If you’re lucky enough to live in some parts of the United States, you may see gas pump prices fall to around $3.25 a gallon or less in the next week or two. Even West Coast drivers should get some relief from prices that are still above $4 a gallon.

Retail gasoline prices dropped by a penny to a national average of $3.71 per gallon on Friday. That’s 22 cents less than the high of $3.94 per gallon reached in early April. Lower oil prices are the main reason. Weaker demand is also helping to push down prices, as consumers watch their spending in the sluggish economic recovery.

Motorists on the West Coast, in Illinois and New York are paying the most for gas — from  (read more)

How stuff works --
The average American car today gets about 20 miles per gallon (mpg) of gasoline. Eighty years ago, Henry Ford's Model T got 25 to 30 mpg and that car could run on gas or ethanol. What happened? In the decades since the Model T, car technology, speed, safety and comfort have improved tremendously. But in terms of fuel economy, we're still decades behind. With concerns about gas prices, global warming and air pollution, fuel efficiency has already become a point of concern for car buyers. Let's explore the question that a lot of people are asking: Can a car get 100 miles on a single gallon of gas?

We're not the only ones asking the question. Google -- yes, the search engine Google -- is trying to find out.
On June 20, 2007, Google announced that its founders' philanthropic organization, Go  (read more)

Forbes -- A long overdue power breakfast with Loews chairman, CEO Jim Tisch placed a mighty sharp focus on all the positive ramifications of the explosion in natural gas discoveries in the US. For a solid hour Tisch sang the praises of the “disruptive technology” that will result from the finding and exploitation across the US of an abundance of natural gas.

First, no one realizes the extent of potential usage of natural gas, opines Tisch, who owns quite a bit in Loews and is looking for more, thank you very much. Gas has become crucial in the delivery of electric power in the US– and will in the future make all forms of transportation more efficient, such as trucks that now use expensive diesel oil.

Second, the US can find and produce unlimited amounts of natural gas once the market  (read more)

Time -- The conventional thinking had it that rising gas prices would stifle the sales of SUVs. Lane-clogging Suburbans and Explorers would slowly disappear with loads of drivers turning to smaller, fuel-efficient cars. And yet, even as gas prices remain relatively high, SUV sales have never been better. What gives?

If you had to name a heyday for the American sports utility vehicle, most people would point to the ’90s, when gigantic SUVS such as the Hummer, Lincoln Navigator, and Ford Excursion were first sold to the public. According to CNN Money, 1 in 5 new cars sold in the late ’90s and early ’00s was an SUV. That sounds like a lot of cars—until you find out that nearly 1 in 3 vehicles sold today is an SUV.

High gas prices were expected to hammer SUV sales. In March, when gas prices ...  (read more)

Hydorcarbon Processing -- Compared with typical gasoline, issues include damaged valves and valve seats, misfires, lower performance, engine damage, poor fuel economy and increased emissions.

Auto repair costs for consumers could rise due to adverse effects of fuel containing 15% ethanol blends (E15), according to new results from a two-year study on engine durability.

The study was conducted by FEV, a longtime consultant to the US Environmental Protection Agency, on behalf of the Coordinating Research Council (CRC).

The CRC study released Wednesday showed adverse results from E15 use in certain popular, high-volume models of cars, its authors said.

Problems included damaged valves and valve seats, which can lead to loss of compression and power, diminished vehicle performance, misfires, engine damage, as well  (read more)