Fuel prices raise reactions from students
- posted: 05 June 2007
- scrollnews@byui.edu
Gas prices are rise steeply, causing a stir among students.
“Every time I fill up my car, I am furious,” said Sheridan Smith, a junior from Mesa, Ariz.
Teralin Thueson, a sophomore from Nampa, Idaho, remembers when she used to pay only $30 to fill up her car; she now pays more than $50.
Oil companies’ high production costs and capacity restraints are hurting consumers by boosting the retail price of gas above the impact of crude oil costs, according to www.cei.org.
Gas prices are also rising because the demand for fuel is stronger than the supply, according to www.cei.org.
Car-pooling is one way Meghan Gibson, a junior from Miami, Okla., compensates for high gas prices. Gibson has a budget that keeps her conscious about her purchases. “I drive less [so] I don’t fill up my car as much as I use to,” Gibson said.
Memorial Day Weekend was an opportunity for some students to get out of town, but the cost of fueling meant some students needed to find ways to distribute the burden of high-priced gas.
Gibson took a road trip with five friends to Las Vegas. Each person contributed about $40 for gas.
“[$40 per person] is a lot for only 10 hours,” Gibson said.
Gibson has heard of a few of the alternatives that are being developed to make driving cheaper.
“Electric cars would be cool and hybrids get like 60 miles per gallon,” Gibson said. Gibson’s car now gets about 36 miles per gallon.
Gas prices don’t only directly affect consumers at the pumps but inother ways as well. Shipping costs go up when gas prices go up, which means that prices for other products and services rise as well.
Circuit Trucking Company’s service costs have risen 30 percent since last year, said Kelton Larsen, owner of Circuit Trucking in Rexburg.
“[High gas prices have] made people look for alternative fuel sources,” Larsen said. 
