Southeast Texas gas prices remain among the highest in the state despite slight relief. Experts warn global tensions and summer demand could push prices higher.<\/p>\n
BEAUMONT, Texas \u2014 Gas prices in Southeast Texas remain among the highest in the state, even as drivers across Texas see slight relief at the pump.<\/p>\n
According to AAA, the Beaumont\u2013Port Arthur area ranks as the fifth most expensive region in Texas for gasoline. Recent data shows El Paso drivers paying an average of $3.80 per gallon, followed by College Station at $3.79, Galveston at $3.74, Houston at $3.72 and Beaumont at $3.69.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the statewide average has declined for the second consecutive week, prices in Southeast Texas are falling more slowly.<\/p>\n
Experts say global tensions and seasonal demand are key factors driving the trend.<\/p>\n
A temporary ceasefire involving Iran earlier this month helped ease pressure on global oil markets, contributing to modest price decreases. However, ongoing uncertainty surrounding oil supply routes — including the Strait of Hormuz — continues to influence prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve actually seen some declines in prices at the pump, which is good news for drivers,\u201d said Doug Shupe of AAA Texas. \u201cBut we\u2019re still paying considerably more today for a gallon of regular unleaded than we were a year ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
John McCullough, an economics professor at Lamar University, said gas prices are largely driven by market expectations and seasonal changes \u2014 not just the number of refineries in the region.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe refineries right now are switching over to a summer blend of gasoline, and that\u2019s putting increased pressure on gasoline prices to go up higher,\u201d McCullough said. \u201cSo we announced that there’s going to be a cease fire, and the strait of Hormuz is going to be open. Then those expectations will cause prices to come down. And it’s all expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCullough added that prices may not significantly decrease for another two to three months.<\/p>\n
For many drivers, the impact is already being felt.<\/p>\n
Ladericka Seastruck, a Jasper resident, said rising gas prices are making it harder to keep up with everyday expenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s \u00a0affecting me for its bills and trying to live because everything’s going up, like food and gas,\u201d Seastruck said.<\/p>\n
Brandy Fiebenthall, a Groves resident who fills up multiple times a week for work, said the costs would be difficult to manage without assistance from her empolyers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was paying for it out of pocket, I wouldn\u2019t be able to do this twice a week,\u201d Fiebenthall said. \u201cThat’s, you can say, 200 bucks in a week for gas that could pay for my grocery.\u201d<\/p>\n
With summer travel season approaching and global uncertainty still in play, experts warn that any recent relief at the pump could be temporary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Southeast Texas gas prices remain among the highest in the state despite slight relief. Experts warn global tensions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":263634,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27,29,28],"class_list":["post-263633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-texas","tag-texas","tag-texas-headlines","tag-texas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263634"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}