Despite increasing for 36 of the past 41 days, the national average price at the pump is at the lowest level for this same date going back to 2009, according to AAA Idaho.
“Another gas trivia tidbit: For the moment, Idaho’s $2.07 average price is just a couple pennies off the U.S. average price of $2.05, which is fairly rare,” said Dave Carlson, government affairs director of AAA Idaho.
“It’s hard to find anything to complain about when not even a single state in the country has an average pump price north of $3.00 a gallon,” he added.
The switchover to summer-blend gasoline at refineries is well underway, and this special blend of fuel has begun to make its way to fuel terminals in many parts of the country, though it can take a few weeks because the fuel creeps through pipelines at just four miles per hour, experts said.
“The summer blend costs more to produce, meaning drivers will likely encounter higher prices over the next few weeks in areas required to use this fuel. In addition, continued refinery maintenance and rising demand may also lead to higher prices in the next few months,” Carlson explained.
A recent rally in oil prices has lost some of its luster, with WTI trading in the $35 range per barrel now compared to $41 two weeks ago. “A year ago, oil was trading at about $48. By all accounts there is more crude oil in storage now than there has been in years, making supply less a concern for what drives the price at the pump,” Carlson said.
