If you think this spring gas price hike is terrible, wait until the summer holidays. A pump is coming to your bank account. Perhaps road trips to Disneyland will be put on hold.
The average price of regular gasoline in Arizona was the third highest in the nation for at least the last month, after California and Hawaii, according to AAA Gas Calculator data.
Arizona’s current average price is $4.68 a regular gallon, a welcome move from the state’s all-time high of $5.38 last summer, but below the national average of $3.54 on Thursday. is still $1.14 higher. A calculator will appear. Summer is approaching. Need to switch to a bike or scooter around town? Why not dust off those rollerblades in your garage?
The reasons and contents of gasoline prices are as follows.
Refinery Spring Maintenance and Oil Supply Caused
Julian Paredes, a spokesman for AAA Mountain West, said the biggest driver of the gas price hike was two refineries in New Mexico and Texas both shutting down for spring maintenance, hurting supplies to Arizona. said that it was This could happen every few years, he added, but it’s fairly unusual for both refineries to go down for maintenance at the same time. “This hit the local supply side hard,” he says.
But it’s not just the refineries that are to blame. Another factor affecting supply is the oil market. OPEC, a group of the world’s top oil producers, recently cut oil supplies, driving up prices around the world. “Between those two things, the Arizona gas market has taken a big hit,” Paredes said.
Big cities bring huge costs to motorists
Prices are high across the state, but Maricopa and Pima counties are more affected than others.
“Maricopa County gets its gas from California, so it’s usually more expensive in Phoenix,” Paredes explained. Pima County, on the other hand, gets gas from Texas, so prices are “traditionally much cheaper.” But because of the refinery problem, “gasoline prices are about the same in Maricopa County and Pima County, so it’s probably going to be a big shock to people in Pima County.”
Prices may go down, or even go down
Paredes said there was some good news. “Domestic gas prices have actually fallen for a week or so here, and oil markets have actually stabilized recently.”
If all goes according to plan and refineries reopen, usually before Memorial Day, Arizona’s oil and gas markets could “fall or at least stabilize,” he said. rice field.
But don’t get your hopes up.
“Gasoline demand is usually higher in the summer anyway, so it’s hard to say,” he said.
