Further proof that the major oil corporations have the world's consumers cornered isn't needed. Gas prices have maintained an incremental rise this year and once again are slated for passing the awful $3 a gallon mark in the U.S. In many places on the East and West coasts, they already have.

Regrettably, we are about to get another reality dose of just how reliant we are on companies that are looking for a return of the record profits they enjoyed last year on the driver's dime.

Suddenly, there appear to be "a raft of outages" at refineries across the country, Reuters reported today. Valero Energy whose stations are best known in North America for their cheaper-than-average gas prices has announced a well-timed spring cleaning that will "shut units at three U.S. refineries this spring for maintenance." Also, BP, Total, Motiva also reported that they too were going to have varying degree of refinery issues in advance of the highly traveled summer season.

Of course, these companies understand the growing demands and will likely do everything - everything - in their power to get operations back up to the 90% capacity they've been working at so far this year - by November.

[Source: Reuters]