Why Gas Is Below $2 in Some Parts of the US and Not Others
With at least one station in the country selling gas for less than $2 a gallon, what's driving
gas prices lower?
Patrick DeHaan, GasBuddy's senior petroleum analyst, predicts gas prices
will also fall below $2 in Houston, St. Louis and Aiken, South
Carolina.
Oil prices
are lower globally because of a number of factors, such as competitive
moves from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries for
market share and increased production in the United States, including
from shale.
Among the biggest winners so far are customers at the OnCue Express
station in Oklahoma City, where gas is selling for $1.99 a gallon this
week, the first U.S. station to drop below $2 since July 30, 2010,
according to GasBuddy. By comparison, the average price of gas in the
country for regular is $2.78 a gallon, according to the Energy
Department's U.S. Energy Information Administration.
Oklahoma and other cities benefit from abundant Gulf supplies and access
to cheaper West Texas Intermediate (WTI) or light, sweet crude oil,
says Patrick DeHaan. Lower state and local taxes, and proximity to
infrastructure are other reasons these cities may see prices below $2.
Two weeks from now, as many as 10 states will have at least one station
under $2 including Oklahoma, according to DeHaan: Texas, Missouri, South
Carolina, New Mexico, Arkansas, South Dakota, Mississippi, Louisiana
and Tennessee.
"It’s unlikely that the national average, or even a state average, will
decline under $2 a gallon anytime soon," DeHaan told ABC News. "The
$1.99 gas, while eye opening, will only be available to a small
percentage of motorists in each state."
The last time the national average price of regular conventional gas was
under $2 was the week of March 16, 2009. That's when the average was
$1.96 a gallon, according to the Energy Department.
money.cnn.com/2014/12/15/news/economy/2-dollar-gasCached
Dec 14, 2014 · Fourteen states now have at least one station selling gas for $2 or less as falling oil prices result in widespread relief at the pump.
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The problem with this (a problem?) is eventually the world will pay dearly for these low prices as oil drillers and Shale miners go out of business all over the world and then there won't be enough oil to go around.
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