Local gasoline prices stayed fairly stable

VW independent/submitted information

Retail gasoline prices ranged from a low of $2.33 per gallon, a couple of cents over last week, to a high of $2.39, which was significantly lower than the high last week.

The low price was, again, at Murphy USA in the Towne Center shopping center. One Stop Shop, 214 N. Washington St., was next at $2.34 a gallon, while four stations the two Pak-A-Sak stations on North Washington and South Shannon streets, the Lassus Handy Dandy station on North Washington Street, and the Shell station on South Washington Street tied at $2.36 per gallon. The Marathon station at Brookside Convenience Store, 1301 W. Main St., was next at $2.38 per gallon, while the Short Stop, 714 E. Main St., had the highest price at $2.39 per gallon.

Statewide, average retail gasoline prices have risen 2.6 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.46 per gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 5,345 gas outlets in Ohio. This compares with the national average, which has increased 1.9 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.60 per gallon, according to gasoline price website GasBuddy.com.

Including the change in gas prices in Ohio during the past week, prices Sunday were 40.4 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are six-tenths of a cent per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 11.2 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 34 cents per gallon higher than this day one year ago.

“High oil prices continue to push gasoline prices to territory that Americans haven’t seen for years, aside from Hurricane Harvey last September,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “While oil production in the U.S. reaches highs not seen since the 1970s, OPEC’s production cuts for the last year have weighed heavily on global inventories, mitigating any small rise in U.S. production.

“And the damage could get even worse as refinery maintenance season and summer gasoline is on the horizon,” DeHaan added. “This has been a storm brewing since the Obama administration legalized oil exports and OPEC decided to forgo market share to tighten global supply. All of this and more will lead to average gas prices being 25-50 cents per gallon higher by Memorial Day.”