Election tied to the price of fuel

What's the topic of discussion these days moreso than the weather? Yes, voters are trying to sort out candidates for the June 3 primary election. And the price of gasoline and diesel fuel, of course, is high on the discussion list. Whether you drive a vehicle or not, the rising price of fuel affects everyone.

There is a correlation between politics and the price of fuel. Most of us want legislators, and our president, to get the price of fuel — tied to the incredible cost of a barrel of crude oil — back down. Us baby boomers have seen the price of gasoline go from 20 cents a gallon to what is approaching $4 a gallon. In 1972 the price of crude oil was about $3 per barrel and by the end of 1974 the price of oil had quadrupled to over $12. There is no question that OPEC has had mixed success in controlling oil prices over the last 30-plus years.

With the price of a barrel of crude well over $100, it now costs us 20 times what it did in the early- to mid-70s to fill our tank. My SUV has a small tank, but it still costs up to $50 to fill it. Maybe drilling for more oil in the U.S., like they are in North Dakota, will be part of the solution.

I saw a feature on the TV news Monday night about going the "two-wheel" route. Not so much in the Flathead, but mopeds are becoming more popular in populated areas. And with a substantial increase in the number of motorcycles and scooters on the road — in town and out — drivers of four-wheel vehicles and larger trucks have to be aware of them. Other options are hybrid vehicles that use electricity in conjunction with gasoline. From what I've seen those vehicles cost more than a non-hybrid of the same make and model, but with the price of gas as high as it is the overall cost of travel could be less with a hybrid.

Where do we get our oil? Because of the continuing and growing international demand for oil, large-scale pumping operations are now considered to be cost effective. Attention is centered on the Alberta heavy oil fields in Canada, and the heavy oil Orinoco Fields in Venezuela. Ninety percent of heavy oil is found in the Western Hemisphere, with additional fields found in Mexico, California, Brazil, and Alaska.

ESCALATING FUEL PRICES are not expected to have an adverse impact on tourism in the northern Flathead, however, as Glacier National Park could see higher visitation numbers than last year. According to the Flathead Convention and Visitors Bureau, more than 10.4 million visitors spent $2.9 billion in Montana in 2006. That's $700 million more than they spent here the previous year. FCVB Executive Director Dori Muehlhof said in a press release that "tourism is one of Montana's leading and fastest-growing industries." Muehlhof expanded on that topic during the Columbia Falls Area Chamber of Commerce membership meeting on Tuesday.

This is National Tourism Week, sponsored by the Travel Industry Association. The week celebrates the value of the U.S.'s $740 billion travel and tourism industry, and the economic and social contributions it brings to local communities like the Flathead. Nationwide, the U.S. travel industry directly employs 7.5 million people, generates payroll of $178 billion and tax revenues of about $110 billion. TIA ranks travel fifth among 20 major private industry sectors. Visitors to the U.S. spent more here than U.S. residents traveling abroad, creating a positive balance of trade of $8.3 billion for the national economy.

ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE of the election, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have been focusing some energy on our state of Montana. Former President Bill Clinton was in Kalispell on Tuesday night, campaigning for his wife in a "Solutions for America" event. Solutions I'm looking for include lower gas prices, and on a different subject, getting our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama appears to be quite popular with younger Montana voters, and reports I've heard and read say that he currently has the edge over Hillary for the Democratic nomination. With less than three weeks to go before the primary, both candidates are making final pushes to garner votes.

John McCain is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination, although Ron Paul will also be on the ballot for the primary. Paul has gained a lot of support in Montana and other states.

What is difficult for me is to sort out the platforms and figure out what each candidate will do for the overall good of America. In just a few weeks we'll go to the polls in the primary election. Polling locations in the Columbia Falls area are Columbia Falls High School, Columbia Falls City Hall, Columbia Falls Fire Department, Deer Park School, West Glacier School and Halfway Restaurant in Essex. Be an informed voter and cast your ballot on June 3.

Joe Sova is the managing editor for the Hungry Horse News.