# Sweet, now Iraq is running out of fuel. WTF? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 6, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419 "2005-09-06T22:06:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/1 "2005-09-06T22:06:28Z")
[http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/06/iraq.traffic.reut/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/06/iraq.traffic.reut/index.html) Can it get anymore fucked up over there? > [@](#): > > BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) – The country with the world’s third largest oil reserves should not run out of fuel. > > But Iraq has come perilously close to doing just that. To save fuel, and to general confusion, the government has ordered half the capital’s car fleet off the roads on any given day. I love the level of organization over there too… > [@](#): > > Confused Baghdad motorists cannot expect much help from their mayor. > > “I learned about it from TV yesterday,” Hussein al-Tahhan told Reuters. “Neither I nor the chief of traffic police knew anything about it.” Seems like everything we touch turns to stone. ---
**Author:** ![buttonjockey308](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@buttonjockey308](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buttonjockey308)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/2 "2005-09-06T22:10:43Z")
You realize of course that it’s because of the Hurricane. ---
**Author:** ![Spiny\_Norman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@Spiny\_Norman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiny_Norman)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/3 "2005-09-07T04:20:00Z")
> [@](#): > > “I learned about it from TV yesterday,” Hussein al-Tahhan told Reuters. “Neither I nor the chief of traffic police knew anything about it.” We’ve got FEMA running Iraq now ? ---
**Author:** ![Declan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Declan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Declan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/4 "2005-09-07T05:38:46Z")
> [@World Eater](#): > > [http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/06/iraq.traffic.reut/index.html](http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/09/06/iraq.traffic.reut/index.html) > > Can it get anymore fucked up over there? > I love the level of organization over there too… > Seems like everything we touch turns to stone. A snippet from the quoted site > [@](#): > > Shortages have become inevitable, creating queues and a\*\* thriving black market for gasoline\*\*, which, because of subsidies, officially costs just over one U.S. cent per liter. Anyone else suspect that this is eventually going to dry up the black market in petroleum, whose funds might be going to the rebs , and the new gas comes down the pipe in a more controlled fashion. Declan ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/5 "2005-09-07T13:57:59Z")
> [@](#): > > The country with the world’s third largest oil reserves should not run out of fuel. Someone needs to tell Reuters that oil reserves do not necessarily equal refinery capacity. That’s the root of the problem; damaged pipelines and refineries, not a shortage of crude in the ground. The two things do not have a causal relationship. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/6 "2005-09-07T13:59:26Z")
Oops. You can read about the production troubles here: [http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/iraqchron.html#0002](http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/iraqchron.html#0002) ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/7 "2005-09-07T17:28:13Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Oops. You can read about the production troubles here: > [U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)](http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/iraqchron.html#0002) Wow, that’s a hell of a link, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/8 "2005-09-07T18:27:03Z")
That is pretty nice, ain’t it? Lots of good synoptic info there about events, energy-related and otherwise, in all sorts of countries. And good links to other information sources, too. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/9 "2005-09-07T21:45:27Z")
Is there a car, truck or SUV that can run on crude oil? If so (I would assume it is a external combustion engine), how many are in Iraq? Why did the gas prices increase in the US when we have plenty of coal? ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/10 "2005-09-08T19:53:17Z")
How about propane conversions? ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/11 "2005-09-09T03:12:09Z")
Part of the problem is likely associated with those folks who insist on spending their time blowing shit up because they’re no longer in the driver’s seat. ---
**Author:** ![duffer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duffer/32/1026_2.png) [@duffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duffer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sweet-now-iraq-is-running-out-of-fuel-wtf/320419/12 "2005-09-09T03:22:48Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > Part of the problem is likely associated with those folks who insist on spending their time blowing shit up because they’re no longer in the driver’s seat. This is the Pit. Don’t bring up obvious stuff when someone is proclaim Bush is THa Suxxorzz!!111~