What Effect Do U.S. Presidents Have on Gas Prices?
A reader reacted to my recent post centering around energy analyst Robert Rapier’s explanation of the role that U.S. presidents play in determining the price of gas. She writes: “I am sure the price of gas is a complicated issue, but it does seem to me that Biden’s actions [gas line from Canada] and general negative attitude toward fossil fuel production must play a part.”
You bring up interesting points. I would agree that putting a spear through pipeline projects could affect the long-term price of gasoline.
It’s unclear (at least to me) what the transition away from fossil fuels will do. First, let me point out that this is happening very slowly, due to the extremely powerful influence that Big Oil has on our world.
Eventually, the phase-out will lower demand, which would actually lower prices, as alternative/competitive solutions come on line. However, at the same time, it will reduce supply, raising prices, because the market will get smaller and therefore less attractive. But again, the significance of these factors will play out over a period of decades rather than months.
Here’s a bar chart of the grid-mix in the OECD countries.
Sometimes things have a way of working out for the best.
It could be argued that the United States had done a reasonably good job at the task that Jimmy Carter mentions here, up until perhaps 1980. At that point, the top tax rate went from 70% to 28%, the educational system began to falter, union membership fell by two-thirds, the incarceration rate started to skyrocket, and social programs designed to keep kids in school, off drugs, and out of jail dropped off.
The meme makes an important point, and it’s certainly not limited to child care.
From 
In this video, Republican Philadelphia City Commissioner Al Schmidt (pictured), who is in charge of vote-counting, 
There are dozens of different concepts out there for removing the trillions of pieces of plastic from our oceans. The video below presents an idea that involves two ships that drag a huge net through the water, scooping up everything larger than perhaps a lima bean that’s floating in the top three feet, while allowing fish to escape. 
It would be interesting to know the LCA (life-cycle analysis) of this product. True, it doesn’t cause trees to be harvested, and let’s suppose the loss of the bamboo has zero ecological impact. But how much energy is required to harvest, process, package, and ship the bamboo?
