Fresh Loaf

In the new book $20 Per Gallon: How the Inevitable Rise in the Price of Gasoline Will Change Our Lives for the Better, Christopher Steiner predicts that the roller coaster ride of petrol prices will eventually become one long, cash-gobbling incline. (If this premise sounds eerily familiar, then you might have listened to Marketplace last night. Steiner was a guest.)

The change will be painful, he says. Big-box stores that rely on inexpensive goods shipped from afar will lose their grip on the marketplace. Residents will return to live in dense cities, turning the suburbs into what the cities were during white flight. Regional air travel? Too expensive and inefficient. Interstates will…well, who knows. I remember hearing something like “will become overgrown with weeds,” but I think that’s already happening.

But growing pains and another economic collapse aside, the shift won’t be all that bad. Fuel prices will become so unbearable, Steiner writes, that we’ll walk and bike more, plan more dense communities, and know our neighbors. We’ll be healthier and happier and live in a cleaner environment.

Forbes Magazine has adapted some chapters of the book. After the jump, some excerpts I noticed about Atlanta.

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Jim Galloway posts that yesterday’s release of 900,000 barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve wasn’t thanks to Gov. Sonny Perdue’s efforts. It was just well-timed and concurrent with a request from refiners.

The AJC muckracker passes ob a statement from a U.S. Department of Energy spokesman:

“DOE approved an additional release of up to 900,000 barrels of crude oil from the SPR to two refiners who submitted requests. This was a concurrent request made by the individual refiners that echoed what the Governor was asking for. The 900,000 barrel SPR release was not in direct response to the Governor’s request.

“We appreciate the Governor’s concern about fuel supplies in the United States. As he noted, emergency oil exchanges from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve are an important tool to mitigate supply constraints. Following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike, DOE released over four million barrels of SPR oil for this purpose, and stands ready to quickly assist in response to additional refinery requests.

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Turns out Gov. Sonny Perdue’s got some pull up in Washington, D.C.

Per the governor’s request, the U.S. Department of Energy says it’ll open the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in the Gulf of Mexico to help ease Georgia’s gas shortage.

“Today the Department approved an additional release of up to 900,000 barrels of crude oil from the SPR for two refiners that have not been able to obtain adequate supplies due to the ongoing disruptions,” Secretary Samuel Bodman wrote to Perdue. “With this additional release, the total amount provided from the SPR to refineries will be approximately 5.7 million barrels since September 3, 2008.”

The state Department of Revenue has also granted waivers to out-of-state haulers without a Georgia motor-fuel licenses to deliver gasoline into the state. Diesel goes first to first responders, school systems experiencing low supplies, and agriculture centers.

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From Atlanta’s Missed Connections page on Craigslist:

QT NORTH DRUID HILLS – m4w – 30 (Atlanta)

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Reply to: pers-860816732@craigslist.org ^[?]
Date: 2008-09-30, 10:09AM EDT

You were in line behind me waiting for gas. You looked amazing in your black BMW. If you noticed me…and you see this. lets talk. Maybe we can get some gas together sometimes

Have any of you made new friends as a result of the gas shortage?

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Gov. Sonny Perdue has asked Pres. Bush to release crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. (Click here to view the letter to the president.)

“As President Bush and Congress work on a plan to rescue our financial markets, I urge them to also focus on our fuel shortage in the Southeast,” Perdue said in a release. “As refinery capacity is returning to pre-hurricane levels, I believe a surge in crude from the Reserve would bridge the gap until full production resumes and lessen the impact of shortages on the daily lives of our citizens.”

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 57.4 percent of crude oil production in the Gulf of Mexico is out, a slight improvement from Friday. Three refineries re-opened over the weekend; two refineries remain completely shut down. Oil is on the way, they say.

Keep us posted, governor. In the meantime, Georgians will continue to keep each other informed via Twitter.

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Christa at Pecanne Log points us to Ted Ullrich’s “Localize Your Life” project, a photographic examination of a city with little fuel. Ullrich is a member of local creative agency the Epidemik Coalition.

(Screenshot from Ullrich’s Flickr)

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— Now in his second term of office, exactly what has Sonny Purdue accomplished beyond his fishing program? ATLmalcontent ponders that question as gas supplies dwindle while the governor twiddles his thumbs and says, “Crisis? What crisis?” Hell, Sonny ain’t even in the country. This week’s sign of the end of the world as we know it? The malcontent counted 32 cars waiting in line at one a.m. over the weekend at the lone gas station in Cumming that actually had gas.

— The banking bailout agreement is in place, and that worries Jason Pye. He notes that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been generous with elected officials on both sides of the aisle. And that Democrats also blew off the warning signs of the foreclosure crisis. He also notes that no one really knows how deep the financial consequences will be, and predicts taxpayers will never get that money back.

— It’s no surprise our economy is falling apart, Dcup says on Politits. And she offers up a very personal story to illustrate why so many of us owe too damned much money.

— Let’s see. The gas crisis. The banking crisis. The presidential debate. The Nichols trial. Lotsa news out there, right? Not at WAGA. The aptly-named Live Apartment Fire notes that WAGA devoted seven minutes of its newscast Friday to, well, covering an apartment fire live.

— Life is always richer with Driftgrift’s “Morning Wooten,” and the latest edition is especially delicious. DG is certain that Wooten lives in some alternative universe where Ward and June live around the corner, and Eddie Haskell represents the only Democrat in the neighborhood.

— And, finally, Chicken Fat offers a short but very sweet good-bye to Paul Newman. Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, owned a condo in Marietta at one point and Chicken Fat notes that he donated money for a much-need facelift to Glover Park. We’re gonna miss ya, Butch.

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Gov. Sonny Perdue has rehashed some tips as to how Georgians can conserve fuel in these gas-strapped times. It’s just that something’s missing from the list:

· Drive sensibly: Speeding, rapid acceleration (jackrabbit starts), and rapid braking lowers gas mileage.

· Choose the right vehicle: If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible.

· Decrease speed: Gas mileage decreases rapidly when driving more than 60 miles-per-hour.

· Avoid idling: Idling gets zero miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas while idling than cars with smaller engines.

· Commute alternatives are also a useful way to conserve fuel, including telework, carpool and transit options, and flexible work schedules. More information is available about commute alternatives at www.CleanAirCampaign.com.

After straying from the talking points and getting called out for it by bloggers and the AJC’s Jim Galloway, it seems like the governor got the memo this go-round. It’d sure be bad to repeat Barack Obama’s advice to the country hours before a much-anticipated presidential debate. Especially when that advice makes sense.

Politics aside, here’s the rundown on fuel: The gas shortage is expected to ease in the middle of next week, according to U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who when not soliciting endorsements from barbers and funeral directors, talks to the folks in the know. State officials are asking residents to conserve so stations can get a chance to replenish their supplies. (Topping off and filling up prior to running low keeps supply at a minimum.) If possible, hit up public transit, ride a bicycle or carpool. If you’re looking for stations that have gas, SpaceyG points you to the TwitterNetz.

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MELTDOWN: Bailout talks crumbled Thursday night when House Republicans announced they won’t back the plan because it offends free-market absolutism. McCain, who made a fuss this week about injecting himself into the negotiations, was largely silent as the Republican revolt ripped apart consensus. Talks resume today, and Bush promised this morning that a bailout package will be passed.

THE REELING IS MUTUAL: Washington Mutual becomes the largest bank to fail in U.S. history as it’s seized by the federal government and sold to J.P. Morgan Chase.

DEBATE AND SWITCH: Obama’s in Oxford, Miss., the site of tonight’s first presidential debate of the general election; McCain is still sending mixed messages about whether he’ll attend, although surrogate Lindsey Graham hinted this morning that McCain may be there after all. And despite McCain’s announced suspension of his campaign, ongoing TV commercials, a speech in New York and media interviews make it seem rather unsuspended. UPDATE: McCain now says he will show up for the debate.

NO. 1 STUNNER: Top-ranked USC falls to Oregon State, making No. 3 UGA’s matchup Saturday with No. 8 Alabama that much more momentous.

OIL FOR FEUD: Tex Pitfield, an oilman whose name wouldn’t allow him any other line of work, has asked Gov. Perdue to cancel the Georgia-Alabama game because of the gas shortage. Perdue’s office calls the suggestion “ridiculous,” and urges people to take common-sense measures, presumably such as stealing gas from Alabama fans. UGA officials have asked fans who can’t make it to Athens and back on one tank, however, not to come.

LONG SHORTAGE: The Washington Post breaks down the regionwide fuel crisis that’s hamstrung the Southeast.

ATLANTA’S AIR FORCE: Delta and Northwest shareholders have endorsed the airlines’ merger, leaving the ball in the Justice Department’s court.

WILD BLUE HITHER: GeorgiaSkies, a new airline launched by Pacific Wings, will offer intrastate flights among Atlanta, Athens and Macon starting Monday.

(SUNK) LIKE A ROCK: The abrupt closure of all Bill Heard Chevrolet dealerships on Wednesday, which the company blames on the economy and gas prices, has left many customers in limbo.

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BAILOUT: President Bush, looking concerned, nervous but still slightly amused, tells the nation that the “entire economy is in danger.”

PALIN: CNN’s Campbell Brown issued a rant to the McCain campaign Tuesday, calling for it to stop sheltering its VP candidate and treating her “like she is a delicate flower that will wilt at any moment,” in response to the campaign barring reporters from asking her questions at a U.N. appearance. Palin was then turned loose to Katie Couric Wednesday, and it did not go well.

MCCAIN: Suspends his campaign to focus on the economy, and asks Obama to postpone Friday’s debate if a bailout deal isn’t reached by then. Obama declines, saying “It is going to be part of the president’s job to deal with more than one thing at once.”

GAS PANIC: Still going on, and people are still fighting at gas stations.

MERGE PROTECTOR: Northwest Airlines’ shareholders this morning approved merging with Delta, whose shareholders will also vote today. Antitrust approval still awaits.

EURO TRIP: Gov. Perdue’s upcoming trip to Spain is expected to cost taxpayers $100,000 at a time when Georgia faces a nearly $1.6 billion budget shortfall and has asked state agencies, including the governor’s office, to cut back.

SHOOTING THE BREEZE: The Gainesville Times reports that relocated city slickers often are shocked this time of year by their neighbors outside, guns a-blazin’, because much of unincorporated Georgia allows residents to shoot guns on their own property.

UGA VS. ‘BAMA: Officials warn that Athens may be flooded with counterfeit tickets Saturday, as average real-ticket prices are more than $300.

TERROR LEVEL RED HOT: The New Englandish region (touché, Jimbo) isn’t establishing a good track record with bomb recognition. First there was the 2007 Aqua Teen Hunger Force scare in Boston; now the Philadelphia Phillies blew up some hot dogs before losing to the Braves Wednesday night.

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STAYING ALIVE: Troy Davis is alive this morning, thanks to a last-minute stay granted by the U.S. Supreme Court. The justices will reconvene Monday, and if they don’t decide to hear his case, he’s back in Georgia’s clutches.

CHECK IS IN THE BAIL: Congress is listening to growing outcries to limit Wall Street executives’ lavish salaries and perks as part of the bailout. Counters one trade lobbyist: “It is not appropriate for government to be setting the salaries of executives.” Not appropriate like, say, using taxpayer money to save a corporation from its own bad investments.

WARREN PEACE: Warren Buffet soothes the weary minds of investors by throwing in on Goldman Sachs.

FUELISH HUMANS: The 2008 Atlanta Gas Crisis! is still going strong, despite the EPA’s move to allow local stations to sell heavier-polluting fuel. The AJC interviews an Emory behavioral psychologist, who reminds us that we’re panicky nitwits.

GAS FIGHT! Society is always three meals, or one tank of gas, away from anarchy.

FLORIDA: Decides it will accept Clayton students to its colleges after all.

DEKALB PLANE CRASH: One person is killed when a plane headed from Jacksonville, Fla., to Michigan crashes in a residential neighborhood near PDK.

TYLER PERRY: The Atlanta movie mogul/maven, who was once homeless himself, donates enough food to feed 1,000 Atlanta families for two weeks, helping address the recent food-donation shortage in the city.

ZOONOTIC SUGGESTION: Advocates of relocating the National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility to Athens contend it would foster increased scientific collaboration on treating diseases that start in animals and spread to humans, like avian flus.

BLACK MARKET: The announcement that UGA’s high-stakes showdown with No. 8 Alabama Saturday will be the blackout game has sparked the Athens economy with a black-clothes-buying frenzy.

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