Local gasoline prices see small decrease

VW independent/submitted information

The low gasoline price in Van Wert was down a penny over last week, although the highest price decreased a dime, according to GasBuddy.com.

The low price, at Murphy USA in the Towne Center shopping center, was $2.61 per gallon, down from $2.62 last week. The two Pak-A-Sak Marathon stations were at $2.62 a gallon, as was the One Stop Shop in the 200 block of North Washington Street.

The Lassus Handy Dandy station on North Washington and the Shell station on South Washington were at $2.63 per gallon, while the Marathon station at the Brookside Convenience Store on West Main Street and the Short Stop Sunoco station both had prices at $2.69 per gallon.

Gasoline prices across Ohio have fallen 7.3 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $2.69 per gallon on Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 5,345 stations in Ohio. This compares with the national average, which has fallen 2.4 cents per gallon versus last week to $2.89 per gallon, according to GasBuddy.

Including the change locally during the past week, prices Sunday were 57.2 cents per gallon higher than a year ago and are 19.1 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. The national average has dropped 3.1 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 60.9 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

“Average gas prices in the U.S. have fallen to their lowest in a month, following oil’s continued slump as OPEC appears poised to adjust oil production levels and the U.S. nears its hitting 11 million barrels of oil pumped per day, the highest level ever,” said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy. “Oil bulls may see their day again this summer, but the prospects of higher oil supply have diminished the value of oil for the time being, and that’s leading to what nearly every American has been rooting for as of late- lower gas prices.

“While many are still bitter over having to pay more than last year, prices certainly could have moved higher if there hadn’t been pressure on OPEC to act now that the (previous) glut of crude oil has been absorbed into the market,” DeHaan noted. “We see gas prices falling slightly into late June or early July before odds rise of hurricane season leading to some volatility at the pump, which could lead prices higher short term.”