Gas prices in Pennsylvania break record
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Gas prices in Pennsylvania have reached a new high as a result of the war in Ukraine. Pictured is the Kwik Fill station on East Maiden Street, Washington.
Katherine Mansfield/Observer-Reporter
Gas prices keep climbing in the region, as this photo of the sign taken Monday at the Sheetz on Racetrack Road, North Strabane Township, indicates.
There’s a meme floating around on social media that says, “Our loan was approved. We’re closing on a full tank of gas this weekend.”
It surely generates some chuckles, but most Pennsylvanians will not be laughing as they pull into gas stations this week. That’s because the average price for a gallon of gas has reached $4.13, a new record in the commonwealth.
According to AAA East Central’s Gas Price Report, the average price per gallon is $4.11 in Washington, $4.15 in Uniontown and $4.17 in Pittsburgh. Since the end of February, the average price per gallon has increased by 43 cents. Nationally, the average cost per gallon is $4.06, 45 cents more than a week ago, 62 cents higher than a month ago and $1.30 more than a year ago. The last time gas cost as much was July 2008, when it was $4.13.
The report states, “As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine continues, crude prices continue to soar, leading to higher pump prices in the U.S.”
Russia is one of the top oil exporters in the world, and the possibility that the 5 million barrels of crude oil that flow out of the country could be significantly curtailed due to worldwide boycotts and sanctions has caused the price of a single barrel of oil to jump past $100. On Friday, the price closed at $115 per barrel, and briefly leapt to $130 on Monday before falling back.
Higher gas prices are also being fueled by warmer weather looming and COVID-19 subsiding, as people travel longer distances and resume lives resembling those they had before the pandemic. The switch to summer-grade fuel in the weeks ahead is also expected to nudge prices higher.