Gasoline prices in Midwest states should continue moving down in the early weeks of summer, not long after they reached their peak in Columbus, Neb.
Gasoline prices in Midwest states should continue moving down in the early weeks of summer, not long after they reached their peak in Columbus, Neb. last week. According to both AAA Nebraska and GasBuddy.com, gas prices in the Midwest in general should trend downwards into June, thanks to gas supplies rallying and refineries that had earlier been shut down returning to operations.
As of Wednesday, vehicle owners in Columbus were paying $3.89 per gallon on an average, which was 21 cents lower from seven days ago, when Columbus gas prices peaked at $4.10 per gallon of regular unleaded gas. That had edged the July 18, 2008 record of $4.09 per gallon. Still, average prices are 44 cents more expensive month-over-month and 36 cents costlier year-over-year. 10 percent ethanol gas prices and diesel were at $3.82 and $3.78 per gallon respectively on Wednesday.
The Nebraska state average is $3.91 per gallon, up from $3.44 per gallon at the same time last month and $3.51 one year ago. The national gas price average for regular unleaded is $3.62 per gallon.
Experts such as AAA Nebraska’s Rose White believe that although Nebraska’s state average is one of the ten costliest in America, gas prices should move down as the refinery situation normalizes and the hysteria over the start of the summer travel season dies down.
Likewise, both Gregg Laskoski and Patrick DeHaan of GasBuddy.com are on the opinion that Midwest car owners should get some relief in the coming weeks, provided no new refinery issues crop up. “You’re never going to see the kind of adjustment that you really want,” opined Laskoski, “but we’re moving in the right direction.”