Armand Jackson
According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), the national average gas price across the United States continued to drop on Tuesday, September 13, reaching $3.707. This gradual decline in gas prices has been the trend for the past two months after reaching record high prices earlier in the summer. However, Neavda is witnessing a different trend from the national average. As of Tuesday, September 13, 2022, the average price for gas in the Silver State was still at $4.925, having actually increased by nearly two cents from $4.904 the previous day and by nearly eight cents from $4.843 the previous week – prices fluctuated even further depending on the county of residence.
Residents of Washoe County had an average price of $5.370 per gallon while those in Clark County had an average price of $4.866. Nevada is not the only state on the West Coast that continues to struggle with high gas prices. According to Small Business Trends, California, Hawaii, Alaska, and Oregon also suffer from high gas prices that are nearly a dollar over the national average. Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy explains that “Refinery issues in California are leading to increases in areas supplied by the state’s refineries, including areas of Arizona, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and of course, California.”
Another reason for this situation is the reliance of western states on Russian oil. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the amount of Russian oil imported into the West Coast continuously increased in recent years. With continued EU sanctions against Russia as well as a shift away from reliance on Russian oil, states on the West Coast will have a more difficult time with gas prices than other areas of the country. Based on 2021 data from the American Petroleum Institute, Nevada has among the highest state gas taxes in the nation. What will become of prices moving forward post Labor Day will depend on consumer demand in the coming months.
