- Many Idaho gas stations are in the process of switching to "summer blend" gas
- The average cost of a gallon of gas in Idaho is now $3.67 a gallon in comparison to $3.53 nationally.
(Below is the transcript from the broadcast story)
Rising prices at the gas pump!
I’m your neighborhood reporter Brady Caskey.
It's that time of year... when people feel a little pinch at the pump… with prices on the rise.
"Gas prices are pretty high and how much you get paid for deliveries is less than what it costs for gas,” says Gina Hallam of Caldwell.
Hallam works as a Lyft driver and has noticed her costs going up.
“It has an impact,” says Hallam.
But there's a reason behind the climbing prices...
With our shift to warmer weather comes the annual swap to what's known as "summer blend" gas at Idaho gas stations
"There's usually a 20 or 30 cent bump just in summer blend making the headlines again," says Matthew Conde, a Public Affairs Director at AAA.
Summer blend has more additives and more refining processes to keep it from evaporating at higher heat. That keeps more gas in your tank.
In the past couple of months, Idaho was well below the national average in terms of gas prices, now prices have jumped back to being above the average.
The average across Idaho is now $3.67 a gallon in comparison to $3.53 nationally.
"So we're probably about 43 or 44 cents more than a month ago probably 10 or 12 cents more than a year ago,” says Conde.
For Hallam, who starts her day in Caldwell and works her way towards the Boise airport, with prices at the pump going up she may change her strategy.
"I might be closer to home 'cause I'm filling up quite a bit,” says Hallam.
It’s likely that gas prices won’t stop here, as we get closer to the summer season road trips and holidays are likely to keep prices going up. In Boise, I’m your neighborhood reporter Brady Caskey for Idaho News 6.
