Gas at $2.86? Study sees big toll on jobs

If oil hit $80 a barrel and gas was $2.86 a gallon, consumers would shun big sport utilities in such large numbers that about 297,000 American automotive jobs would be jeopardized.

Should gas reach $3.37 a gallon (presuming oil at $100 a barrel), about 465,000 jobs would be in danger.

In either case, though, Ohio is unlikely to be hit hard.

Those are the conclusions of a study released Wednesday by the University of Michigan’s Office for the Study of Automotive Transportation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Cleveland Plain Dealer