Washington’s gas prices are among the highest in the US, surveys show. Why is that?
Gas prices in Washington are among the highest in the United States and prices nationwide are expected to continue upward in March, according to AAA.
Washington motorists paid an average of $3.095 per gallon of regular gasoline on Monday and that’s almost 30 cents higher than the national average, according to AAA and gasbuddy.com.
The national average could hit at least $2.80 in the coming weeks, AAA said.
“Barring hurricane season, March may bring the most expensive pump prices of 2021,” Jeanette Casselano McGee, a AAA spokesperson, said. “While the month is roaring in like a lion, by the end of it we could see some relief at the pump as refineries resume normal operations, especially if crude oil prices show signs of stability.”
The national average as of Monday is $2.72, a 30-cent increase from the beginning of February, according to AAA and GasBuddy.
Washington follows California ($3.68) and Hawaii ($3.46) for the highest average gas prices in the U.S., AAA said in a news release. The states with the lowest prices are Mississippi ($2.38), Louisiana ($2.41) and Texas ($2.42).
GasBuddy had the states in the same order, although some prices differed by a few cents. California ($3.67), Hawaii ($3.41) and Washington ($3.08) still had the highest average prices and Mississippi ($2.35), Louisiana ($2.37) and Texas ($2.39) also held the three lowest average prices.
Gas in Washington
Prices in Washington vary by region, with the more expensive prices on the west side of the Cascade mountains, according to AAA. Wahkiakum County in the southwest corner of the state has the most expensive average of $3.29 while Asotin County has the cheapest gas prices at $2.60.
Other cities of interest: Bellingham ($3.10), Olympia ($3.15), Tacoma ($3.17) and Tri-Cities $2.83).
Washington’s price for regular gasoline is 50 cents higher than its next door neighbor, Idaho, according to AAA. Idaho’s average price for gas as of Monday is $2.59.
Why prices are so high
Gas prices have been rising since the end of November, McGee told McClatchy News in a phone interview. That has a lot to do with optimism in the market spurred by the COVID-19 vaccine, according to McGee.
But the dramatic spike in gas prices over the last two weeks is largely because of harsh weather in the south, McGee said.
“The latest price jumps are a direct result of February’s winter storm that took 26 U.S. refineries offline and pushed refinery utilization from an average of about 83% down to an atypical low of 68%,” AAA said. “Both utilization and demand rates have not been reported this low since last May.”
The cost of crude oil “the biggest factor” when it comes to prices at the pump, according to McGee. Crude oil costs make up about 50% of the retail price of gasoline, McGee said.
“For nearly a year, motorists have been saving 53 cents a gallon, on average, when filling up their gas tanks. That extra pocket change is quickly going to dwindle thanks to rising crude oil prices that have made for more expensive pump prices,” McGee said.
Washington also has one of the highest gasoline taxes in the country at 49.4 cents per gallon, according to the Tax Foundation.
Combined with the federal gasoline tax, Washington motorists pay 67.8 cents per gallon in taxes at the pump, the Washington Department of Revenue says.
This story was originally published March 1, 2021 at 2:09 PM with the headline "Washington’s gas prices are among the highest in the US, surveys show. Why is that?."