Pump Problems: Oklahoma Gas Prices Surge Due to Refinery Issues, AAA Anticipates Temporary Impact
KOKH - September 18, 2023 6:37 am
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — You may have noticed an increase in prices at the pump recently, and many Oklahomans are feeling the impact of the high prices.
AAA Oklahoma says the current jump in gas prices is mainly due to refinery issues that are impacting the supply and demand of gas, but the good thing is they say the high prices should be temporary.
According to AAA Oklahoma, gas prices have sprung up over 20 cents in just the past week.
They say oil costs have jumped several dollars to hover around $90 per barrel, making gas prices in Oklahoma 45 cents higher per gallon than they were one year ago,
“A lot of that is due to reported refinery issues,” said Rylie Mansuetti with AAA Oklahoma, “That is going to cause gas prices in the Great Plains to go up a little bit, as demand will increase with less supply coming into gas stations. So that’s why we’re seeing those higher prices.”
But AAA says not to worry, as there are no indications that this situation will be anything but temporary,
“We should see gas prices to cool down a little bit more here in the coming months,” Mansuetti said, “Just because we have less people out on those road trips.”
Experts say there are some ways to make sure you get the best gas mileage possible for your vehicle,
“There’s also things that you can do in your car like inflating your tires that can make your car move more efficiently,” said Mansuetti, “If you have your AC running all the time, that’s going to make your car use a lot more gas as well. So just those few car care tips can really help you in your car run efficiently if your car’s not in good shape not running efficiently, the likelihood that you’re not meeting your best fuel efficiency is really high.”
AAA recommends following the speed limit and prioritizing your errands for maximum fuel efficiency,
“If you go over the speed limit, it makes your fuel efficiency even less so not only is speeding bad for everyone else on the highway and for your safety, but it’s bad for the fuel efficiency of your car as well,” Mansuettis said, “Limit the amount of time that you’re driving to and from because those short distances in your car can eat up a lot of gas.”
