Surging Gas Prices

Gasoline prices have been surging upwards during the past two weeks.

Currently, a gallon of unleaded regular in the Gallup, New Mexico area is around $3.099. Luckily for me, I filled my gas tank last week at $2.779/gallon in Gallup. Thank goodness I get around 30 miles per gallon with the Mustang.

If New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signs S.B. 41 (gas tax bill) into law (if she hasn't done so already) that the Democrats passed during this year's legislative session, we could see at least fifty cents a gallon more at the pump. So, take $3.099/gallon and add fifty cents to it, New Mexico drivers would be paying $3.599/gallon.

According to Forbes:

TOPLINE The national average price for a gallon of gasoline hit a four-month high on Wednesday, and analysts expect it to keep rising as oil prices trend upward, refineries struggle with capacity and states transition to a more expensive summer fuel blend, though prices are far from where they were at their mid-2022 peak.

KEY FACTS

Drivers in the U.S. are paying roughly $3.31 for a gallon of gas on Wednesday, according to data from GasBuddy, while AAA puts the price slightly lower, at an average of $3.29.

We have a mothballed refinery here in Jamestown, New Mexico. It has been shut down since 2020. 

People in New Mexico need to contact the governor and demand that she veto S.B. 41! 

To read more, go here.

Gas Prices Could Drop 9% By End of Year

Above, the price in Gallup in January 2020. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday, I noticed that gasoline prices in Gallup, New Mexico were at $3.45/gallon on average. One station was at $3.44/gallon and another was at $3.40/gallon. When I went to Lake Havasu a week ago, I paid $3.38/gallon with my Good Sam discount at the local Flying J.

RV Travel has posted an article that states gasoline may go down 9% by the end of the year. That would be nice, wouldn't it?

They begin with:

While the summer tourist season is decidedly over, plenty of RVers are still on the road. Snowbirds heading for warmer destinations may be concerned about the price of road fuel. Fuel industry analyst GasBuddy may have some good news. Gas prices could drop 9% by the end of December.

To read more, go here. 

Gas Prices: $4 By April

Above, today's gas prices at the local Flying J.

Rising gas prices is being blamed on "mild weather" (sure as heck not here) and higher demand.

But there are other reasons and prices could go even higher by April. That's just lovely, since I have a clampout in Tombstone, Arizona in April.

Here's what Yahoo! Finance is saying:

Get ready for gas prices to rise again going into spring. A gallon of driving fuel could go back above $4, according to GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan.

"It's a question of when, not if. I think something like that could happen by potentially April, maybe sooner," said De Haan.

"I think motorists are going to start getting squeezed more so in late February. The next three weeks could be a bit of a mixed bag," he said.

De Haan points to planned breaks in production at refineries as part of the reason for a rise in prices. 

One good thing about the recent snowstorms, I haven't been out driving much, thereby saving gasoline.

To read more, go here. 

High Gas Prices

Above, the price of gasoline on January 25, 2020 in Gallup, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Yesterday, I filled up the Mustang's gas tank at the Flying J and was stunned that the price for unleaded regular was at $3.05 9/10 per gallon.

Luckily for me, my Good Sam membership gets me a nickel-per-gallon discount at Pilot/Flying J travel centers, so I paid $3.00 9/10 per gallon. This was the most I've paid for gasoline since I left California three years ago.

Why the rise in gasoline prices?

According to Fox News:

Gas prices are on the rise again after a "short-lived" decline, according to an industry expert.   

The nation's average gas price rose 1.7 cents per gallon over the past week, notching $3.16 per gallon, according to GasBuddy, which compiles data from more than 150,000 gas stations across the country. 

The national average is now 3.8 cents higher than it was a month ago and nearly 92 cents higher than a year ago.

"Last week’s decline of the national average price of gasoline was short-lived," Gasbuddy head petroleum analyst Patrick De Haan said. "Prices have now rebounded on continued strong gasoline demand in the U.S., which has pushed oil prices back up after a brief lull."  

To read more, go here. 

Average California Gas Price: $4.02 Per Gallon

Above, a San Fernando Valley Shell station a few years ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Every time I read a story like the one that follows makes me more glad and grateful that I moved out of Commiefornia (California).

The gasoline prices I paid over the past weekend to and from the clamp-out was around $2.89/gallon in Arizona. The price here at the Flying J is $2.57/gallon.

Naturally, California's politicians love high prices (how else are they going to pay for all the freebies for illegal aliens?).

While the rest of the country is seeing a downward trend in gasoline prices, California is going in the opposite direction.

According to the Sacramento Bee:

Gas prices skyrocketed in Sacramento and throughout California last week, despite a nationwide trend in the opposite direction. 

Prices at the pump in Sacramento are up more than 25 cents in the past seven days and nearly 35 cents over the past month, according to fuel trend analysis website GasBuddy. 

Gas is currently averaging $3.85 a gallon, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 720 stations in the capital city. 

Stockton ($3.51 a gallon), Modesto ($3.44) and Oakland ($3.75) are all up more than 24 cents week-over-week, according to GasBuddy. The statewide average fuel price is $4.02 per gallon as of 8 a.m. Monday.

This is what happens when one votes Democrat and turn a state into a one-party state.

To read more, go here.

Soaring Gas Prices On Memorial Day Weekend

Above, the gas pumps at the Flying J in Jamestown, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Before heading off to the Gallup Flea Market yesterday, I stopped at the Flying J to check my mail and fill up the Mustang's gas tank.

The price for unleaded regular gasoline at the Flying J is $2.89/gallon. With my five cent per gallon discount through my Good Sam Club membership, I paid $2.84/gallon. At least I am no longer in Los Angeles, where gas prices are around $3.76/gallon (according to GasBuddy).

Additionally, I thank my lucky stars that I got a tune-up for the Mustang before moving from California (and no traffic issues in New Mexico), because I am getting 29 miles per gallon.

Other states' gasoline prices aren't so cheap.

According to CNN Money:

Gas prices have soared, and some areas of the country are feeling it more than others. 

The sharpest price hikes have hit the Midwest. Over the past month, the average price per gallon of gas in Michigan has shot up 32 cents, more than any other state. Its statewide average recently hit $3.15, according to data from GasBuddy, a platform that tracks real-time prices at stations across the country. 

North Dakota's gas is $2.96 on average, about 29 cents higher than a month ago. And Wisconsin's gas hit $2.94 per gallon, a 28 cent increase. Wyoming, Minnesota and Ohio round out the top six. 

The national average price per gallon of regular is creeping toward the $3 mark, making it the most expensive for a Memorial Day weekend since 2014, according to the American Automobiles Association. 

Soaring gas prices can be attributed to factors like oil production cuts orchestrated by OPEC and Russia, Venezuela reducing output, and the United State's decision to leave the Iran nuclear deal.

All that may seem pretty far removed for vacationers that are hoping to kick off the unofficial start of summer relaxing at the beach. But if that beach is in California, chances are the most expensive pump prices in the country are nearby. 

The West Coast typically has the most expensive gas. Geography, high demand and clean air regulations contribute to the price per gallon. Folks in some areas, such as San Francisco, are seeing prices near $4 per gallon.

Prices at the pump haven't been this high for Memorial Day weekend since 2014, when crude was sitting in triple-digit territory.

To read more, go here.

Gasoline Prices Up, But Lower Than In California

Above, the Flying J travel center in Jamestown, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Last night, I stopped at the Flying J for dinner at Denny's and to fill up the Mustang's gas tank.

I paid $2.80 per gallon.

I just took a look at the average gasoline prices in California and they tell me that I still made the right decision to move out of "Commiefornia".

Here's a sample of current average gas prices, according to GasBuddy:

You can thank the one-party government of radical leftist Democrats for these prices.

To see more at GasBuddy, go here.