Retail gas prices are very expensive for this time of year due to shrinking gasoline stocks from refinery maintenance, increased demand for gas and higher crude oil prices. For the week, the national average jumps eight cents to $2.83 a gallon, its highest price since last October. The Oregon average shoots up 12 cents to $3.31. This is the seventh-largest weekly jump in the nation and also the highest price for the Oregon average since last November.
“The West Coast is especially hard hit with tightening gasoline stocks due to planned and unplanned refinery maintenance,” says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho. California’s average jumped 18 cents this week to $4.01 a gallon, the most expensive state average this week and a price point not seen in the Golden State since July 2014.
Pump prices in the West Coast region are the highest in the nation, with all of the region’s states landing on the top 10 most expensive list. California tops the list for the fourth consecutive week with Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Alaska and Arizona rounding out the top seven. Oregon is fourth most expensive for the fifth week in a row. As mentioned above, California is the only state with an average at or above $4 a gallon.
For the week, the national average for diesel adds three cents to $3.07 a gallon. Oregon’s average gains six cents to $3.22. A year ago the national average for diesel was $3.01 and the Oregon average was $3.25.
Source: AAA