BERKS CO., Pa. – “Who can budget when it keeps going up up up?”, says Russel Weiszczyk.
AAA Spokesperson Aixa Diaz said, “We are looking at a national average of $4.14, and we’ve never had a Labor Day that the national average has been above $4 a gallon.”
Sky high gas prices are hitting people’s pockets as they make their way to the Labor Day destinations.
Ray Hassey of Exeter says, “The prices are high but we go anyway, but it just takes a bite out of your wallet that you didn’t really expect to have to pay but it’s just one of those things in life.”
As conflicts overseas continue, the price of crude oil remains at record-breaking levels.
According to Gasbuddy’s Patrick De Haan, U.S. refineries are already operating at a fast pace to try to offset lost capacity. “In the last week, government data out today showed that U.S. refineries were operating at 98% of their capacity. Even if you put millions of barrels of oil more in the gulf coast, refineries would not be able to process it,” said De Haan.
Even as demand for gas will likely fall along with temperatures in the coming weeks, AAA says prices may not. Aixa Diaz, AAA Spokesperson says, “The problem is this year we’ve got high crude oil prices and most of what we pay at the pump has to do with crude oil.”