>The reason for rise in gasoline price is very simple and it was described in all business articles today, e.g. this
>http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080912/oil_prices.html

"Major oil companies are sensitive to raising prices in this environment," says the guy. I'm glad there's someone like you who is so full of understanding for their sensitivities.

>The unpleasant truth is that USA didn't build a one new refinery since 1975, therefore temporary stoppage of few causes immediate rise in gas prices. It has no correlation to oil prices..

That, of course, also explains why did the price of the gas at the pumps fall so low in the last six months, because these are also the six months when not one new refinery was built, which also has no correlation with oil prices. However, it did have a lot of correlation with the oil prices in 2005/06, when there were no new refineries built.

But these guys at http://www.ucan.org/gasoline_autos/gas_prices/the_price_of_oil_vs_cost_of_gas_no_correlation seem to differ on the cause: "The reality is that since 1990 the oil companies have closed 18 refineries because the oil industry has been aggressively shutting them down to restrict supply."

As you say, it actually is very simple.