Is there any good reason for Des Moines to have cheaper gas than Houston?

[Gman]

from gasbuddy.com:

10 Lowest By State  	

Missouri 	2.126 	
Oklahoma 	2.181 	
Iowa 		2.183 	
Kentucky 	2.204 	
Ohio 		2.208 	
Indiana 	2.211 	
South Carolina 	2.222 	
Minnesota 	2.241 	
Tennessee 	2.246 	
Kansas 		2.252 	

10 Lowest By City
Des Moines 	2.055 	
Oklahoma City 	2.107 	
Kansas City 	2.114 	
Wichita 	2.172 	
Indianapolis 	2.179 	
Tulsa 		2.184 	
Lexington 	2.192 	
Grand Rapids 	2.194 	
Cincinnati 	2.197 	
Houston 	2.201 	

Houston, with all its refineries over in Pasadena has gas 15 cents more than Des Moines. Iowa's gas averages $2.183. Texas averages $2.315. And Missourri has the cheapest gas in the country?

Could it be that Iowa has got 4 very competitive congressional races that are absolutely critical to the GOP keeping control of Congress? Could it be in Missouri that Jim Talent is in big trouble to get reelected?

Don't blame it on gas tax differences. Combined state and federal gas taxes in Texas are 38.4 cents. Missouri's taxes are 35.4 cents and Iowa's taxes are 39.5 cents.

Seems to me Big Oil is doing their damn level best to keep the GOP in power.

[Pugee]

1. Interesting

It has been 2.09 all week here in mid-Missouri

[imfreaky]

2. I don't know much

but I'm thinking it could be transport cost to get from refinery to station??

[leesa]

3. Well, San Diego's closer to Pasadena and our gas is way higher than

any of these prices...$2.70's to $2.90.

[Gman]

5. That's Pasadena, Texas

a suburb of Houston, just to the Southeast.

[RiDuvessa]

4. Are there city taxes on the gas?

Chicago's gas is significantly higher then the surrounding area because the city also taxes the gasoline. It's usually 15-25 cents higher then you can get in the suburbs.

Also, maybe population has something to do with it. Houston is significantly larger then Des Moines.

These are just guesses, of course, but I am willing to bet that most of the difference is city taxes.

[Hawkowl]

6. Nonsense

City taxes wouldn't account for a 20 - 50 cent price differential. Everyone would simply drive over to the next city to fill up.

People MUST, MUST understand that our fuel delivery system is not a "free market". Supply and demand have very, very little to do with the cost at the pump. What we have is a cartel, i.e; OPEC plus the handful of giant pirate corporations (raping and pillaging at will) which actively determine and set the price for whatever purposes they deem necessary.

Think about it. If Iowa has only three choices of gasoline brand, say Exxon, BP and conoco/phillips, and Exxon decides it will attempt to sway voters by lowering gas prices 50 cents, what choice do the other two companies have but to lower their prices as well.

Iowa then ends up with far lower gas prices, not because of a conspiracy between big oil companies, but merely because ONE CORRUPT big oil company is trying to game the system and preserve its profits through political manipulation.

One of the assumptions of the efficiency of a "free market" is that of many, many, suppliers of the same good (i.e; gasoline), thus offering consumers many choices. Many suppliers also make it much more difficult to practice price collusion.

So when you hear people parroting the conservative talking points exalting "free markets" ask them how many companies do their need to be in a market before it is free?

[maxsolomon]

7. WA state has 2 refineries on Puget Sound

avg. price is about $2.80 per in Seattle. Still way over $3 at some downtown stations.

go into central WA or idaho, hundreds of miles from Seattle, its less.

its simply illogical

[Igel]

8. Your numbers are screwy.

http://www.houstongasprices.com/index.aspx?&area=Houston%20-%20Central&area=Houston%20-%20East&area=Houston%20-%20NE&area=Houston%20-%20North&area=Houston%20-%20NW&area=Houston%20-%20SE&area=Houston%20-%20South&area=Houston%20-%20SW&area=Houston%20-%20West

Lots of places here have it for under 2.10/gal.

[Gman]

9. The numbers come from the same place as your numbers:

http://www.gasbuddy.com/GB_Price_List.aspx

The Houston number I listed is a average.

[DuaneBidoux]

10. Houston has special anti-smog formulations that cost more.