Seattle & Expensive Gasoline

Let's talk about gas prices. A few weeks ago a study was released that placed Seattle as the 8th "most prepared" for a sustained oil crisis among large cities in the US.

With gas prices on the rise and $3 or $4 a gallon gas on the horizon, SustainLane.com took a close look at the 50 largest U.S. cities to see which are most prepared and which are most vulnerable to an extended gas price shock in the $3 to $8 dollar a gallon range. Those cities that can reduce or stabilize their spending on gasoline will keep substantially more money in their state's economy, rather than siphoning it overseas.

Huzzah for us, I guess. Although I think Seattle would still be in a pretty tight spot if gas started costing $8 a gallon. There aren't that many people that carpool or take the bus. But if $3 per gallon is a "crisis," then yeah, Seattle's not likely to hurt much. According to the Seattle Times, rising prices isn't really likely to affect Seattle much at all:

From the federal Energy Department to your neighborhood cashier, experts think the price will continue to rise as summer approaches — and they say we'll take it in stride.

"I hate to say people are comfortable, because that would seem a stretch, but they're resigned. We see the demand staying relatively consistent," said Janet Ray, communications director for AAA Washington.

Jason Toews, co-founder of the national GasBuddy.com Web site, which tracks gas prices nationally, said he expects Seattle prices to hit $3, "possibly as high as $3.25."

Well I speak for one family whose demand is going down, thanks to my new wheels. And I'm anything but "resigned" to paying out my ears for gasoline. I've been dreaming of ditching the ol' internal combustion engine for years. I don't like being completely dependent on a substance whose cost could double overnight. It just doesn't sit well with me. Personally I think electric will be the wave of the future, especially if gas prices do reach $8 per gallon for any extended period of time.

(SustainLane, 03.24.2006)
(Mike Lindblom, Seattle Times, 04.15.2006)