Gas prices in Idaho are falling fast, compared to the rest of the country. Idaho’s prices have dropped 30 cents in the last 30 days, while the U.S. average price has dropped just a nickel over the last month.
Triple A Idaho’s Dave Carlson says Idaho’s gas prices were well above where they should have been. A month ago, they were 46 cents higher than the national average.
Carlson says there are five refineries that serve the southwestern part of the state and they may not have been able to keep up with the need in this part of the country.
“Those refineries are not big refineries and we’re restricted by a pipeline that’s not big enough even if we had gasoline product to move through it that would allow us to get some of that benefit from higher refinery output,” says Carlson.
Idaho’s prices are still the eighth-highest in the nation. But overall, the price of gas continues to fall, with the average U.S. price 89 cents lower than a year ago.
Carlson says that’s good news for drivers. He says a combination of factors is involved. Oil prices are low, the supply is plentiful and fewer people are on the roads now that vacation season has ended.
“That’s all part of the picture that would suggest that lower prices are going to be around for a while. In fact, they may hit $2.00 on average or less by the end of the year. We’re going to wait and see what happens there.”
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