A year ago, President Obama pledged to reduce US dependence on foreign oil by 1/3 within a decade. We are going in the right direction!

Who knows why we waited so long? What are we doing right?

Higher US oil production does help, but in reality it’s only a drop in the bucket. Higher fuel efficiency in cars, use of renewable energy elsewhere and (unfortunately)an economy that is not close to cooking on all burners all contributed.

That said, the US only holds 2% of the oil reserves on the planet, but consumes 25%. You do the math.

It’s coming and you can’t do anything about the price, but there are some things you can do to use less of it.

These are not 7 ‘secret tips.’ You have heard them all before.

1. Have your tires checked. Wheel alignment and tire pressure are both important.

2. Check for the best deals in your area. GasBuddy.com can help. You can also get an ap for your mobile phone.

3. Don’t speed. You can reduce consumption by 7% for every 5 miles you cut back on the highway.

4. Get a tune-up to burn your fuel most efficiently.

5. Do not ride your brake. Use it for stopping.

6. Take advantage of gas card benefits.

7. Drive as smoothly as possible.

You’re welcome :)

The price of oil spiked yesterday at the end of the day on rumors of a pipeline explosion in Saudi Arabia. Officials denied the report. Gosh, a little bad news sure sends oil prices up,up, up.

What about Iran’s nuclear program? I’m worried.

How about Israel and its new ballistic interceptor missile? Iran’s not gonna like that one. More worries.

“The Iran crisis has led to a sharp rise in the oil price since the beginning of the year,” said a report from Commerzbank in Frankfurt. “Concerns about supply disruptions are likely to persist for some time, justifying a longer lasting risk premium on the oil price.”

Worried.

No, it’s not baseball this time. It’s the rising price of gasoline.

And nothing energizes Republicans like rising energy prices. Last week House Speaker John Boehner told Republicans to take advantage of voters’ looming anger over prices at the pump

Let’s get that pipeline moving! And open up more off-shore drilling.

Gas prices are rising for three reasons and non are listed above.

1. Iran’s decision to cut exports to Britain & France (a payback move)

2. Economic recovery is taking longer than expected.

3. Speculators i.e. hedge funds and other money managers placing big bets on the price of oil.

No hints of any steroids

And so apparently is $4 gas. Fred Rozell of OPIS sees $4-$4.25 gas sometime between April and early May. Patrick DeHaan of gasbuddy.com predicts $3.75 to $4.15 by May.

Look out Chicago! DeHaan predicts $4.60-$4.95/gal. LA: mid-to-upper $4.00.

“Bigger cities will always have higher prices due to higher gas taxes and the cost of doing business,” DeHaan said.

Could be worse.

Despite the possibility of record high gas prices this spring, Rozell says things could be worse. “Over the last 10 years, we have tended to see a 75% increase in prices from the winter low to the spring peak. This year, we are only forecasting about a 40% rise because of bearish economic news.”