Gas has jumped 46 cents Centre County. Here’s where you might find the cheapest
The average price for a gallon of gas in Centre County Monday was 46 cents higher than a week and a half prior, according to the American Automobile Association, a 14% leap brought on by President Donald Trump’s war in Iran, now in its second week.
Crude oil prices, which in large part determine gas prices, have gone up and down throughout the week, peaking Monday morning before cooling off as Trump offered conflicting opinions on how long the war would last.
A gallon of regular fuel in Centre County was $3.74 Wednesday, up from $3.69 Sunday and $3.28 March 2. There are no longer any gas stations in Centre County where a gallon of gas costs less than $3, according to community-driven price checker GasBuddy.
Prices fluctuated by area. A gallon of regular gas Wednesday cost around $3.80 in the State College area, while Philipsburg prices neared $4 per gallon. Gas at some pumps in the northeastern reaches of the county — Bellefonte, Milesburg and Howard — was cheaper, around $3.40 to $3.60 per gallon. Prices were largely the same Monday and Tuesday, according to GasBuddy.
Statewide, the average price for a gallon of gas rose from $3.12 March 2 to $3.66 Wednesday. Drivers can sometimes pay less for fuel by using cash.
The rise in gas prices is in large part due to the surging price of crude oil. About half of the price of gas is determined by the price of oil, according to the Energy Information Administration, a federal agency. Twenty percent of the world’s crude oil supply travels through a narrow waterway separating Iran and U.S. allies, and the war is choking off supply. The price of oil leads refineries to charge gas stations more for product, and the gas stations then charge consumers more for fuel.
Several Centre County gas station operators pointed to the war as the cause for day-by-day price increases, though none opted to do so on the record.
Trump said in a post on his social media site Sunday the sharp rise in oil prices caused by his war would be “a very small price to pay for U.S.A., and World, Safety and Peace.”
“ONLY FOOLS WOULD THINK DIFFERENTLY,” he added, with an exclamation point. The president, in his social media post, said prices “will drop rapidly” after his Iran expedition ends, though he and his administration have offered differing timelines if any at all.
In a rambling press conference Monday evening, Trump proposed a number of ways to lower oil prices, such as eliminating sanctions on unnamed adversaries and offering risk insurance to tankers in the Middle East.
