Hurricane Barry cuts U.S. oil production plus a driving update for July 2019: Pearl

Yesterday, I told my readers to "Stay tuned for a driving update for Pearl the Prius."  That's because my car turned over 47,000 miles on Saturday, July 13.  I'll run the numbers of how I'm reducing my driving over the jump, but first I'm going to look at the effect Hurricane Barry is having on oil production and gas prices beginning with Tracking Barry: Gas prices could rise from WKRG in Mobile, Alabama.

You could be seeing higher gas prices thanks to tropical storm Barry. Rising oil prices have been causing the national average price of gas to increase in recent weeks. But the storm could cause some of the country's major gasoline refineries to shut down and drive prices even higher. There could also be supply problems. Overwhelming rain could also cause some refinery outages and constrict fuel supplies along the gulf coast.

That's a great description, which is why I bothered to embed the video, but the clip itself isn't very informative, which is why I left some constructive criticism in a comment: "This is good B-roll footage, but it needs one of your reporters to read the video description over it to make it worth watching."  That's why I'm also sharing Tropical Storm Barry's impact on gas prices from Fox 4 in Florida, which covered the same ground with snappier narration but a less informative description.

Experts believe Tropical Storm Barry could have major impacts on gas and oil prices.

At least part of the expected consequences occurred, as Wochit News reported in US Gov: Storm Barry Cuts 73% Of U.S. Crude Oil Production.

Crude oil production in the U.S.-regulated areas of the Gulf of Mexico has been drastically cut.
The U.S. Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement says Tropical Storm Barry has cut 73% of production.

Despite the cutback in oil production, Fox 4 reported two days ago Gas prices decline despite Barry in the Gulf.


Florida gas prices are down 5 cents this week.
Let's see how long that lasts.  If it does, drivers in the U.S. got off easy.

Follow over the jump to see how well I'm doing on reducing my driving and therefore my demand on oil and gasoline and my output of greenhouse gases and other air pollution.


It has been 68 days since Pearl passed 46,000 miles on Monday, May 6, 2019.  That translates to 14.71 miles per day, 445.43 miles per standard month, and 5367.65 miles per year.  That's less than the 16.67 miles per day, 508.33 miles per standard month, and 6,083.33 miles per year I drove her between Thursday, March 7, 2019.  It's also less than the 15.15 miles per day, 462.12 miles per standard month, and 5530.3 miles per year I drove her between May 12, 2018 and July 17, 2018, the comparable period last year.  It's also less than the year-over-year average, as it took me 361 days to drove 6,000 miles, which translates to 16.62 miles per day, 506.93 miles per standard month, and 6066.48 miles per year, which is exactly the same as my year-over-year average two months ago.  It looks like I'm doing well in reducing my driving and keeping it down.

I expect my driving will stay low and possibly even decrease when I compute the next 1,000 miles, as I am only teaching at one location near my house and will have no meetings until the last week of August, when the fall semester begins and I start teaching at three locations.  Then the miles I drive will increase, although not as much as it would have, as I am giving up another meeting a month during the coming academic year.  That should have its full effect when I pass 49,000 miles in about four months.  Stay tuned.