I've been all over the Tijuana/Baja gas crisis. The whole time I've been wondering when this great story would go national. At last- I have my answer. Today. Or rather tomorrow. Specifically- the New York Times is checking in with a report from Ciudad Juarez, of all places.
The low gasoline and diesel prices that draw Americans here are a result of subsidies provided by the Mexican government to curb inflation and make fuel affordable to the poor.
The moment may not last. Severe gasoline and diesel shortages, caused by the increased demand from Americans and delivery problems as well, have been reported from here to Mexico’s border with California. (On Friday the government-owned monopoly oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, said that it would provide a one-time allotment of an extra 300,000 barrels of diesel fuel to meet increased demand along the border.)
Moreover, experts question how long the government can continue providing gasoline subsidies, which will amount to more than $20 billion this year.
For now, though, many South Texans are buying all the fuel they can south of the border, and little wonder. Four of the seven poorest urbanized counties in the United States are along the Texas border, including El Paso, according to a 2006 Census Bureau report.
So I guess it is a national phenomenon.
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