Utah drivers pay 69 cents more per gallon than 46 other states

SALT LAKE CITY – After the long pandemic the world is opening up again and that can only mean – higher gas prices. But why are pump prices so high in Utah?

The AAA said motorists can expect prices to rise as much as 30 cents by the end of the year, according to a KSL NewsRadio report.

“Strong demand for gasoline and higher crude oil prices are pushing gas prices up,” said Jeanette McGee, AAA spokesperson.

No freedom from high gas prices in Utah

Gas prices in Utah during the July 4 vacation hit their highest level since 2014.

Utah’s five oil refineries, all located in the Salt Lake City area, process nearly 200,000 barrels of crude oil per calendar day, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Corn …

1. On Friday, the price of regular gasoline in Utah is $ 3,877 (fourth highest in the United States).
2. The average price of regular gasoline in Utah on March 25 was about $ 3.15 per gallon, according to the AAA. (This link shows gasoline prices in Utah county by county.)
3. A year ago today in Utah, the price was $ 2.463.
4. The national average on August 6 is $ 3,189, but a year ago it was $ 2,182.
5. The highest price on record in Utah was $ 4.222 per gallon in July 2008.

The national average price of regular per gallon rose this week to $ 3.13, according to AAA. That’s for $ 3.05 on June 5. On July 5, 2020, when the pandemic kept drivers at home, a gallon of gasoline cost on average just $ 2.18, according to the New York Times.

Outlook: Steady rise

According to Forbes, the OPEC + countries have restabilized their deal and extended the expected expiry date until December 2022. There will likely be a continuation of the same steady rise in gas prices over the past 12 months, but probably at a slower pace.

• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries includes Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela (the five founders), as well as the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Algeria, Nigeria and four other countries.

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