Greater demand, tighter supply and the higher cost of oil are all factors driving up the price at the pump.
According to AAA East Central, gas prices are 5 cents higher in Western Pennsylvania this week at $3.941 per gallon, according to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report. The average price of unleaded self-serve gasoline in Bradford was $3.912, Brookville at $3.890, DuBois at $3.940, Erie at $3.972 and Warren at $3.999.
Overall in Pennsylvania, according to GasBuddy, prices rose 0.7 cents a gallon in the last week, averaging $3.90 a gallon Monday. Prices in Pennsylvania are 3.3 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and stand 11.2 cents per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price of diesel has risen 9.9 cents in the last week and stands at $4.53 per gallon.
“It’s been a mostly quiet week for the national average price of gasoline, with most states seeing gas prices cool off. But, new and continued refinery issues in some regions have had an oversized effect on gas prices in some states, especially in Southern California, Arizona and Nevada,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
“While most states are likely to continue seeing gasoline prices fall in the week ahead, any new refinery issues as others begin maintenance could be problematic. For diesel prices, however, the opposite is playing out, with prices that continue to rise as demand for diesel strengthens,” he continued. “Overall, the largest issues impacting gas prices remain refinery disruptions, but also the price of oil, which has held around $90 per barrel as Saudi Arabia and Russia maintain significant production cuts.”
According to new data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA), gas demand rose slightly from 8.31 to 8.41 million barrels per day last week. Meanwhile, total domestic gasoline stocks declined slightly from 220.3 to 219.5 million barrels. Higher gas demand, amid tighter supply, has contributed to elevated pump prices, but oil remaining above $90 per barrel continues to steer the price increases.
At the close of last Wednesday’s formal trading session, West Texas Intermediate dropped by 92 cents to settle at $90.28. Oil prices decreased due to ongoing market concerns that energy demand could be lowered if future interest rate increases tip the U.S. economy into a recession. Additionally, prices declined despite the EIA reporting that total commercial crude stocks decreased by 2.1 million barrels to 418.5 million barrels last week.
