According to a new study released by The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, Ohio's energy costs rank right about in the middle of the country. The report ranks Ohio 23rd amongst the 50 U.S. states, tied with Alabama.

The index ranks the 50 states according to two major energy costs that affect small businesses, individuals and families:

• The price of regular gasoline at the pump.
• The cost of electricity.

The lowest cost states are:

1. Wyoming
2. Idaho
3. Utah
4. Kentucky
5. West Virginia

The highest cost state were found to be:

46. Massachusetts
47. Rhode Island
48. Alaska
49. Connecticut
50. New York and Hawaii (Tie)

I love free Wi-Fi and abhor any establishments that continue to cling to the antiquated idea of a paid service. I can get Wi-Fi at McDonalds, the city park, local libraries, and even the Jiffy Lube down the road has Wi-Fi. Now everyone's favorite green and yellow gas station - BP - is joining in the fun, offering free wireless access at select locations.

Ruckus Wireless and HarborLink have reached a deal with the North American sector of BP to hook up their gas stations with free Wi-Fi access. The companies have been introducing Wi-Fi to a number of BP stations for the past several months, and plan to formally announce their partnership on Monday.

Eventually, they hope to equip nearly 9,000 corporate and franchised BP stations in North America.

So what's in for them? By offering free wireless internet access, BP hopes that their customers stick around a little bit longer and spend more money. Maybe you'll hang out in the car a little longer, surf the web and check your email, and then discover that you're thirsty and pop in the store for a drink and a snack.

The service is ad-supported, so when you log-in you aren't required to have purchased gasoline to get access. Instead you'll be shown various ads and promotions.

As much as it hurts to pay $4 per gallon of gas at the pump, there is a plus side to it all. According to one researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, higher gas prices equal fewer deaths from car accidents.

Analyzing yearly vehicle deaths compared to gas prices, death rates drop significantly as people slow down and drive less. If gas sticks at $4/gal. or higher for a year or more, that could mean more than 1,000 fewer traffic deaths per month nationwide.

"It is remarkable to think that a percent change in gas prices can equal lives saved, which is what our data show. For every 10 percent rise in gas prices, fatalities are reduced by 2.3 percent. The effects are even more dramatic for teen drivers," said Michael Morrisey, Ph.D., director of UAB's Lister Hill Center for Health Policy and co-author of the findings.

Co-authoring the report along with Morrisey is David Grabowski, Ph.D. of Harvard Medical School.

The pair presented the early results in June at a health economist meeting in North Carolina. Their research included death rates and gas price changes from 1985 to 2006. The calculated percent reduction in fatalities can be exrtapolated from this data to 2008 and beyond, say the authors.

A new survey from Kelley Blue Book shows that new car shoppers are giving up their coffee cravings in order offset the cost of $4/gal. gas. The survey shows that 28% of new car shoppers have stopped going to Starbucks or other coffee shops entirely, and 21% say they are going less often due to the rapidly increasing cost of fuel.

Skyrocketing gas prices have also changed many shoppers opinions about what vehicles they are considering to buy. The Toyota Prius remains in hot demand, while the gas-guzzling Hummer brand is suffering miserably. According to KBB, 62% of shoppers say that prices have either changed their mind or made them think strongly about vehicles they normally wouldn’t have considered.

Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com, said:

Think the $4 per gallon we're paying on average in the United States is bad? Take a look across the pond in Great Britain, where prices have skyrocketed due to a fuel shortage. Supplies are short, stations are closing up shop with dry tanks, and those that who do have fuel left are demanding exorbitant sums of $14.76 per gallon.

The problems began following a strike by Shell tanker drivers in a dispute over pay. Prices are expected to go back to normal once the Union can reach an agreement, but in the meantime Brits are panicking, snapping up as much fuel as they can, making the demand, and price, jump even higher.