California gas prices are over $ 4 for the first time in five years

• California gas prices exceed $ 4 per gallon for the first time in five years.
• Domestic prices are also rising, having climbed to $ 2.84 this week, about 10 cents higher than last year.
• Blame more maintenance problems than is typical of the spring in West Coast and Rocky Mountain refineries.

---

With the summer fast approaching, Americans are paying more at the pump all over the country, but California's gasoline prices exceed $ 4 for the first time in five years.

California gas is never cheap, as it adheres to strict environmental standards not followed in other states. However, unexpected maintenance problems at local refineries forced the state to look for gas elsewhere. The cost of transporting imports has pushed up gas prices by 40 cents since the beginning of this month alone.

Gas prices in the state averaged $ 4.01 on Wednesday and rose to $ 4.02 the next day, their highest level since July 2014, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge report. In comparison, domestic prices reached $ 2.84 this week, nearly 10 cents higher than the same period last year.

"We are seeing very expensive gasoline prices for this time of year across the country," said Jeanette Casselano, spokesperson for AAA, in a statement.

Unexpected repairs put more US refineries out of service

National gasoline prices are generally in the spring, as US refineries have closed some of their operations to start producing gasoline blends for the summer. However, unplanned maintenance repairs at other refineries on the West Coast and Rocky Mountain reduced inventories, leading to higher gasoline prices in other parts of the country.

"It's a complex problem, which is why we've seen prices explode," said Dan McTeague, senior oil analyst at GasBuddy.

According to the report from the AAA Fuel Gauge Report, six of the ten California refineries are following the typical maintenance schedule or are experiencing unplanned repairs. The El Segundo refineries in Chevron and Marathon in Los Angeles both faced production problems.

Since the state supplies gas to other regions, states like Nevada and Arizona have also been affected by gas prices.

Gas prices are expected to stabilize for the summer as refineries complete modernization and resume production. However, fuel prices could still be higher than last year. Motorists can optimize their fuel consumption by checking that their tires are not under-inflated, removing excess weight from vehicles and seeking lower cost prices at the pump.