Gas prices slam West Coast drivers
Gas prices have dropped across the United States, with the exception of California, Washington, Oregon and Alaska.
While gasoline prices continue to fall elsewhere across the nation, West Coast drivers are getting walloped with prices way above the $4 mark, and one prediction has them jumping an additional 12 cents by next week.
"Regular self-serve gasoline in Washington was selling Monday for an average $4.20 -- more than 47 cents higher than the national average, according to the AAA auto club. That gap has more than doubled in the past month," The Seattle Times reports. (Post continues below.)
Nationwide, the average today is $3.727, down from $3.763 a week ago and far below the $3.907 average a month ago, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Report.
That's cause to rejoice, unless you happen to live in one of these states:
- Alaska, where the average price today is $4.497.
- California, $4.357, an increase of more than 15 cents in the last week.
- Oregon, $4.186, about 16 cents higher than a week ago.
- Washington, $4.212, more than 12 cents higher.
Why the big difference in gas prices on the coast? BP has been unable to restart a Washington refinery damaged by fire in February. Meanwhile, four of California's 12 refineries are closed for maintenance.
"Gasoline supplies in California are down more than 20% from a year ago. West Coast gasoline stocks haven't been this low in the month of May since May 1992, according to the Department of Energy," The Associated Press reports.
Several analysts predicted that high West Coast prices will last through Independence Day.
Are you paying these prices at the pump? How are you adjusting your budget?
More from MSN Money:
Prices have been going up, and the media has been spouting the prices are going down. Problem: the reports are always at least a week or two behind the facts. Just like the "Jobs Report: Jobs are increasing." Where, might I ask, is that? Oh. It's in the Washington Labor Department reports. Too bad the so-called experts are just beaurocrats, instead of real p[eople actually looking for work.
It's all "smoke and mirrors."
All the politicians will slant any report to suit their own reelection needs.
As a maintenance planner my self, I would never pull a piece of equipment off of the line during the most crucial production periods. As a matter of fact, I spend the off production period making sure the equipment is up with backups for the peak season I wouldn't have my job for very long if I didn't.
I also notice that fires erupt right about now as well. I remember the great fire in the summer of 79 when one of the only two operating antifreeze manufacturing plants burned. Curiously it was the one that supplied the west coast and during the hottest part of the year. Of course antifreeze prices sky rocketed to ridiculous for 1979 ($5.00 a gallon).
What put an end to that chicanery was the fact that cars can run without antifreeze, so people just changed their pressure caps and used plain water and kept an eye on their water temperature until the supplies built up and the price dropped. I have never seen the prices on antifreeze spike like that again... hhhmmm!
We have our own refineries and a crude pipeline right here in Alaska. So why are we paying so much for gas? It certainly is not due to lack of availability!! For some reason we are ALWAYS paying more for gasoline than anywere else.
The price of heating oil has gone down by .10 in the last couple of weeks but gasoline has gone up .14 in the same time frame. How much sense does that make? Now that summer is here and heating oil usage goes down but gasoline usage goes up. How much you want to bet that next fall the reverse will be true?
The oil companies are getting fat off of us here in Alaska.
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