“When losses happen, somebody’s got to pay for it.”
Called Freedom Fuel Network, the enterprise encompasses dozens of gas stations throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, USA Today reported, although it isn’t exactly clear which locations are open for business. Plastered in American flag decals and “Freedom Fuel” branding, the gas stations seem to be selling unleaded gasoline for the fixed-price of $3.47 per gallon, about 32 cents cheaper than the current average price in the US.
According to GasBuddy, nearby prices range from $3.85 to as much as $4.49 — no doubt reflecting the slower drip of oil from the president’s costly war on Iran, which burst back into active fighting this week.
As head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy Patrick De Haan told the Philadelphia Inquirer, the current price of crude oil means there’s no way Freedom Fuel’s $3.47 price point can turn a profit.
“Stations selling at this price, it’s not sustainable,” De Haan explained. “Generally, when losses happen, somebody’s got to pay for it.”
De Haan raises an obvious question: who is paying for it? If the stations are losing money on every gallon, somebody has to make up the difference somewhere — whether out of Trump’s pocket, that of a friendly donor, or the taxpayer’s. And if it’s a private company taking the hit, how long until they stop subsidizing Pennsylvania drivers?
Already, the stunt seems to be distorting local markets. As of Wednesday, a nearby Sam’s Club in Dresher dropped its price to match the $3.47 figure — surely good news for anybody buying gas in South Eastern Pennsylvania, but as always, the devil is in the details.
This is the glut of Venezuelan oil that Trump is stealing from their country and probably selling to his buddies in the refinery business for cheap.
This really doesn’t make sense if you have even the little knowledge I have of how the petroleum pipeline works (and I know very little). Oil is refined in refineries and gets sent out in bulk. At the more local level, it’s all the same gas - companies put in additives that can be per-brand, but the gas going to one gas station is the same basic gas going to another.
Perhaps there’s a financial thing going on where they put cheap oil in and so sign contracts for a lower price on the other end or something, but it’s not going to be that same oil.
So when I see assertions like this that get popular support and agreement, I find it bothersome. I’d rather know the truth than make random accusations. The truth is bad enough without bringing fiction in.