Future of coal prices

So let us review. US closes down Iran oil exports but theocracies do not die quietly. Sabre rattling galore but nobody will do anything. Surprise, surprise, now tankers in the straits have been mysteriously sabotaged but everybody is sworn to secrecy right now. That will do a lot for insurance rates at the very least and most tanker owners will soon think twice about entering the straits ... period. Now drones are blowing up oil pipelines in the SA desert one day after SA stated they will pick up the slack. Tough to stop, the SA desert is a big place. Hmmm, Iran can cripple SA, UAE and Kuwait supplies easily and I am sure they have practiced that one. So fuel prices could go up a lot and so coal prices will go up. Stock up now. This is going to get very interesting.

If gas prices go up I will run out and buy an EV ..... hahahahhahahaha, I just kill myself, I am sooo funny.

And oil investors/speculators will never exaggerate an oil shortage to gouge us more either. How many times have these oil shortage stories been told by them now? I have yet to see a station out of gas in my lifetime here but our oil comes from Canada, or so Ive read.

For me, being 1000 miles from the ant source, trucking is the expensive part (that causes the price to fluctuate). My dealer did not even know how much it was going to be this year a month ago because of that. It is hauled in a semi the whole distance, no trains.

i have to agree with Simon on this.

i made that decision in Oct. of 2015 for 23 tons from PA to Indiana. using just 3 ton a yr. it was and still is wonderful uninteruptable heat security. only having used 6 tons of it so far i still have 5.5 yrs left.

i will probably soon look into another TT load and call it good till i'm 80.

i was only 3 during the arab oil embargo, but i remember mom and dad not being able to get fuel. mom had to borrow my grandmothers car to get to work, hers had no fuel. then again during the 1979 oil crisis, we were on vacation and dad kept coming up on gas stations that were out of fuel.

going to see if i can get 3-4 tons in my half full bin next month.

I would guess that today there's enough domestic oil production to prevent huge shortages. Although certainly the prices would go through the roof. There's nothing an energy producer or speculator loves more than any excuse, real or imaginary, to rocket the prices.

The late '73 embargo/shortage wasn't too severe, although gas prices went from high 30 cent range to 50 some cents quickly. There was rationing, but not heavily enforced, especially near Interstates. There were some stations with no fuel. Nixon proclaimed year-round daylight savings time. Way less stations exist today. The '79 embargo was much worse, I think. Rationing was the rule. Even / odd days assigned as I recall. $5 minimum purchase. Fistfights at gas stations, long lines and much gas theft from cars. Gas went from 50 some cents to 80 cents a gal. very quickly. You almost had to travel with a 5 gal. can of gas in the trunk. I was paying no more than $50 a ton for delivered rice coal which quickly went to nearly $90. Everybody jumps on the gouge train. With coal producers, some of it is from increased operating costs.

On gas prices, I remember in 1974 we bought a snowmobile and our neighbor was a Gulf station owner, gas was in short supply and Dad was asked what this gas was being used when filling a 5 gallon gas can in winter.