Story By Jerry Bohnen |OK Energy Today| Last week, AAA raised the question…”Is it the end of the road for falling gas prices?” Oklahoma drivers might be asking the same question.
Prices fell nationally only two cents in the last week of November and the automobile association said the primary “culprit is the cost of oil” which is creeping closer to $80 a barrel.
Oklahoma prices average $2.72 per gallon this week, six cents lower than a week ago and 33 cents below the average from a month earlier. But drivers across many counties in the southeast and the northwest are paying more than $3 on average for gasoline.
Lawton averaged $2.60 per gallon, down 3 cents from the previous week while Oklahoma City’s average of $2.65 was 8 cents cheaper. Oklahoma City drivers also saw prices on average down 35 cents from a month ago. Another price survey group, GasBuddy, reported some Oklahoma City stations selling gasoline as low as $2.31 a gallon.
Tulsa drivers were paying an average of $2.54 a gallon this week, or 8 cents cheaper than a week ago and 40 cents below the average from one month ago. GasBuddy cited $2.38 as the lowest price on Monday morning.
But an AAA map of the state showed the southeast and northwest lit up like red lights on a Christmas tree. Sixteen counties had average prices from $2.99 to $3.70 per gallon. Coal County was highest at $3.70.
Dewey County in the northwest has an average of $3.26 per gallon and nearby Ellis County is at $3.22. Most western counties are just below the high prices in those two counties.
Lowest in the state? Tulsa County claims the honor with an average of $2.49.
“The current streak of daily pump prices either falling or staying flat started on September 19,” said Andrew Gross, AAA spokesperson. “It appears this run is in jeopardy, and we may see prices edge a bit higher. But if the cost of oil eventually hits reverse and dips again, pump prices will likely follow suit. So stay tuned.”
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