Fallon Deatherage-Bradley
News Editor
Idaho gas prices are nearly 47.3 cents higher than they were this time last year.
As of Sept. 9, the average price per gallon of unleaded gasoline in the state was $3.20, 35 cents more than the AAA’s estimated national average of $2.85.
Idaho regularly ranks either 7th or 9th in the nation for high gas prices around Labor Day, but the state currently sits in 5th. Idaho’s Sept. 10 average has not been this high since 2014 when the state average was $3.72.
The $2.85 national average, which has held fast for most of the summer, is about 43 cents more than what American drivers paid on average last year.
According to Patrick DeHaan, Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy, gas prices typically decline steadily after Labor Day until February, when prices usually are at
their lowest. Price drops have been slow. The average Idaho price has fallen only 2.6 cents over the past two weeks.
“I usually don’t pay attention to gas prices,” said Ian Stites, an ISU junior studying mechanical engineering. “But it’s nice that they are going down because I usually spend $50 a week to drive my truck back and forth from school to my house.”
The season’s usual decline in price may not be as significant this year. U.S. imposed sanctions on Iran begin on Nov. 4, and as a result of the upcoming change crude oil prices rose 2 percent on Sept. 11.
In past years, hurricane season has also been responsible for keeping gas prices high as they often force refineries to shut down. While Hurricane Florence is expected to cause inflated gas prices on the east coast, it’s not expected to have an impact on prices around the country as the hurricane did not hit any significant oil refineries.
ISU students are uniquely impacted by the higher prices. With more than 12,000 students and only five on campus apartment complexes and four residence halls, many students make a daily commute to campus and some students who live on campus make occasional trips home.
“Prices haven’t really affected the amount I’ve been able to go home for visits to my family,” said Gunner Goodfellow, a senior in the Communication, Media and
Persuasion department.
Goodfellow said that even with the higher prices he doesn’t mind making the hour and a half drive for weekend visits home.
Prices are predicted to decline in the coming weeks as the high demand for fuel during the summer months end.
According to the Energy Information Administration, gasoline demand dropped from 9.65 million barrels per day to 9.53 between the weeks of Sept. 2 and Sept. 9, enough to possibly warrant a drop in prices.
Additionally, vendors will likely begin selling winter blend gasoline which is easier to produce than the summer blend. The difference between the two lies in the Reid Vapor Pressure (RVP), a measurement of the temperature at which the fuel evaporates. Because of colder temperatures, winter blend fuel must have a higher RVP.
Fuel providers will likely be transitioning to the cheaper winter blend soon, passing the savings on to motorists.
