Pain at the pump

By Hannah Wever
Review Staff Writer

Published: June 26, 2008

It’s not exactly new information that gas prices are at an all-time high. And as a result, folks are paying more and driving less.
Brenda Morrison, owner of J&B’s Market on the circle in Gordonsville, said as gas prices have gone up, the number of folks filling up has gone down. Instead, drivers buy fewer gallons at a time.
“They’re definitely buying less gas-just buying what they need to get them through,“ Morrison said. “On the consumer level, it’s not been easy for them,“ she sympathized. “They need to get to work.“
Around here, there are few alternative transportation options for county residents who commute to their jobs. The Town of Orange operates a transit system, but only around Orange, and back and forth to Gordonsville. Certainly, if folks need an affordable option for traveling in and between the two towns, they have one: it costs only a quarter to ride the Town of Orange Transit system (TOOT) in the Town of Orange, and 50 cents to ride from Gordonsville to Orange. But there’s no bus service around here to carry commuters to work in Culpeper, Charlottesville or beyond.
Morrison has an ideal vantage point at her store to observe the flow of traffic in all directions. Even though summer traditionally brings convoys of cars destined for vacation trips through the circle, Morrison said there are fewer cars traveling through Gordonsville now that gas is hovering at the $4-per-gallon mark, and diesel is even higher.
“I think the volume is down a little,“ she said. Drivers are being more conscious about the amount of fuel they use, she speculated. “They’ve got to put $100 worth of gas in the car instead of $60. That’s a big jump.“
Morrison said she didn’t expect to see the price of gas go down anytime soon-“not in our summer forecast anyway.“ And there’s not a lot retailers can do to take the sting out of refueling, she added.
“We try to offset it with a coffee or soda with their fill-up, but that’s really all we can do,“ she said.
But beyond the summer driving season and pleasant fall temperatures, the local folks who keep their homes warm with oil will be facing staggering utility bills in a few months.
At Brockman Oil Company in the Town of Orange, David Brockman said customers can expect to pay higher prices for heating oil along as well as soaring gasoline prices.
“We don’t truly know what’s going to happen, but we certainly hope it’s going to come down some,“ he said.
Heating fuel oil is similar to diesel used in automobiles, but with a slightly different chemistry, and minus a road tax.
“It’s a little cheaper than what’s at a gas station,“ Brockman said.
At a gas station, diesel is up to $4.10 per gallon this week-that’s a record high, along with gasoline at $3.89 per gallon. That means folks who need to fuel their furnaces with heating oil can expect to pay close to what truck drivers will pay to fill their tanks.
There a few programs to assist those who qualify with heating bills this winter, according to Orange County Director of Social Services Bob Lingo. But with fuel costs as high as they are and continuing to increase, that money available from a Federal Energy Assistance Program won’t go very far, Lingo fears.
“We’re very concerned about heating during this winter,“ Lingo said. “If fuel costs are $4 a gallon, and you have a 250-gallon tank-that’s $1,000 to fill it up!“ he said.
Brenda Lloyd, the eligibility supervisor at the Orange County Department of Social Services, had concerns similar to Lingo’s.
“It’s going to be really frightening. The picture is pretty bleak,“ Lloyd said. “People have lost their jobs, and wages aren’t going up fast enough.“
Eligibility for assistance with heating bills, Lloyd said, is based on applicants’ incomes. But, she added, the federal government’s grant money is less and less each year. That means fewer folks qualify, and those who do qualify receive less financial assistance than in previous years.
“This winter, I pray for not a lot of snow, and moderate temperatures,“ Lloyd said.