The Asian nation's oil demand is expected to grow this year by 800,000 barrels per day and represents more than one-third of the total growth in global demand, according to the Energy Information Agency.

In the United States, oil demand is projected to grow by 340,000 barrels per day this year and gasoline demand is projected to grow nearly two percent, averaging 9.3 million barrels per day for the summer.

Global crude oil demand is increasing, particularly in places like China.

The price of crude oil accounts for 55 percent of the price of a gallon of gasoline, driven by global supply and demand. The United States depends on foreign sources of oil for 62 percent of our nation's supply. By 2010, this is projected to jump to 75 percent.

Contacts must be closer between the Ministry of Industry and Energy and oil companies to fix [fuel] price growth at 11%, as projected.

Due to the large number of new oil and gas wells in Smith County for 2005, all the tax information was not available when the tax roll was certified. The Smith County Appraisal District has supplemented the new mineral accounts. This value has been added and tax statements have been mailed and payments are now being received.