Low Oil Prices Help Consumers and Coal Companies, in the Short Term

SUGAR LAND--December 31, 2014--Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Crude oil prices have been falling for the last several months. In August, the price of a barrel was more than $100. The December price fell below $60 a barrel. In the short term, this trend is a welcome break at the pump for most consumers, with U.S. average gas prices now below $2.50 per gallon of regular unleaded. This is the lowest that prices have been at the pump since 2009. There are other short-term impacts to consider. One of them is the cost of coal transportation. Within this article: Impact of falling oil prices on coal transportation costs.