“I think we need to be worried about prices, supply and crowd behavior,” said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis for the Oil Price Information Service, which tracks prices. gas for AAA.
First, the prices: The national average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline is now $ 3.04, according to AAA, essentially matching the seven-year high set earlier this month, and up 58% from compared to a year ago.
But prices vary widely at some 150,000 stations nationwide, partly due to variable taxes and fees, and partly due to the fuel supply to refineries in specific regions. Only a third of U.S. stations sell gasoline for more than $ 3 a gallon, but areas with even higher prices push up the national average. Even so, the most common price nationwide is only a tenth of a cent below $ 3.
For example: virtually all stations in California sell gasoline for $ 3.75 or more, with the average price for regular gasoline at a national high of $ 4.17. Meanwhile, Louisiana and Mississippi have a national low of $ 2.72 per gallon, with almost no stations in either state charging $ 3.
A repeat of the shortages?
Despite the high prices, a potential gas shortage is emerging as perhaps the most serious problem this summer.
But experts aren’t as worried about another malicious hack as they are about a critical shortage of qualified truckers to drive the tankers that deliver gasoline to stations.
The supply shortage could initially affect only a few small independent stations. But the worry is that even a handful of dry resorts could trigger panic shopping, especially in seaside communities and other vacation hot spots.
“I think the propensity for panic among the population is much, much higher than it has been,” Kloza said.
