They say the only two things certain in life are death and
taxes, but it appears one more item could be added to that list
– ever-increasing gas prices.
They say the only two things certain in life are death and taxes, but it appears one more item could be added to that list – ever-increasing gas prices.
As of Monday, California’s average price hit $2.24 for regular unleaded – the highest recorded price for gas in the state, according to Cynthia Harris, a spokeswoman for AAA out of San Francisco.
“A year ago today it was $1.93,” she said. “We are breaking records with today’s prices.”
Over a week and a half period, Paul Greer, co-owner of Victory Mart on Fourth Street, watched the price of regular unleaded gas jump almost 20 cents a gallon, from $2.09 to Monday’s high of $2.26, he said.
“It’s ridiculous,” Greer said. “At $2.09 we were getting good, constant clientele. Now it’s decreased so much, who knows what’s going to happen when (prices) go up again.”
The weighted national average for all three grades of gasoline was just over $1.96 per gallon on Friday, according to Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the biweekly Lundberg Survey, which regularly polls 8,000 gas stations across the country.
The average price of gasoline has broken all-time record highs for two consecutive months, although the average price remains about 90 cents a gallon lower compared to the peak gas price in March 1981 when adjusted for inflation, Lundberg said.
Crude oil prices reached a 13-year high of $40 a barrel Friday, the highest since Oct. 11, 1990, in the run-up to the 1991 Gulf War. Prices for crude oil and for gas at the pump are unlikely to decline anytime soon, Lundberg said.
The national weighted average price of gasoline at self-serve pumps Friday, including taxes, was about $1.93 for regular, $2.02 for mid-grade and $2.11 for premium.
A constant stream of complaining patrons wondering why gas prices are so high have Greer responding to them with the only answer he has.
“I asked my supplier, and he said gas prices have increased because one part of an oil refinery went down that supplies the local area,” Greer said. “And prices skyrocketed.”
Harris said this round of increases was brought about from a depletion in supply, more demand and because companies are already using summer gas-oil blends, which typically cost more than winter blends.
“They could possibly get higher before lower,” she said. “It’s really hard to speculate, because every day there’s a different set of circumstances.”
Greer, who bought his station eight months ago, wouldn’t have gone into the gas business if he would have known what was in store for him, he said.
“It reminds me of the stock market… and it scares me to death having (prices) go up,” he said.
Hollister resident Adolph Beltran, who has been out of work and looking for a job, has felt the increase deep in his pockets, he said.
“It makes it hard to get around – no job, no money, high prices,” he said. “I think (the increase) is because the president has a conspiracy to get more money for jeeps and tanks.”
While prices may progress well into the summer months, there are still ways motorists can save money on gas, Harris said.
“We’re getting hit at the pumps every day, so the best thing to do is shop around,” she said. “You have to change your attitude toward driving.”
Driving at a consistent speed on the freeway, doing several errands at once, cutting down on SUV use except for weekend trips and checking air pressure will all lead to more efficient fuel consumption, she said.
“Obviously we can’t control the big prices with refineries on an international level,” she said, “but we can at least change our individual habits.”
Lori Stuenkel of the Gilroy Dispatch contributed to this report.
