US gasoline prices have spiked in the last 12 months and the average price for a gallon of gas this month was $3.38, the highest since 2013, according to the Energy Information Administration.
In October, US crude prices rose to seven-year highs, marking a very rapid increase from earlier in the pandemic.
Meanwhile, US oil producers, under pressure from their own investors, have also not increased production by as much as they normally do when prices are this high.
Among all the US states, California currently has the highest gas prices, an average of $4.70 a gallon of regular unleaded, according to AAA.
On Sunday, the average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County moved within four-tenths of a cent of its record high Sunday, rising three-tenths of a cent to $4.701.
The average price has gone up 12 consecutive days and 14 of the past 15, increasing 11.2 cents, including seven-tenths of a cent Saturday, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.
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It is 3.6 cents more than a week ago, 16.6 cents higher than a month ago, and $1.558 greater than a year ago.
“We are still seeing rising gas prices in Southern California as a result of the refinery issues in the region and them trying to backfill for the refineries in the north,” where a heavy rainstorm last month affected production, Jeffrey Spring, the Automobile Club of Southern California’s corporate communications manager, told City News Service.
In New York, as of Sunday, the average price of gas is $3.57 per gallon for regular and $3.76 per gallon for diesel, according to AAA. One year ago, the average price of regular-grade gas in the Empire State was $2.22.
Currently, Oklahoma has the lowest gas prices in the nation with an average of $2.98 per gallon for regular.
Now, many voters perceive the prices as sky high and that is especially true compared to last year when prices were artificially low due to the reduced travel that came with the pandemic’s first year.
