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WESTWOOD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — As daylight savings time is now behind us and Spring coming up in just eight days, gas prices are also expected to rise ahead of the summer driving season which means more of us will be out and about on the road according to a AAA press release.
The rise in gasoline prices can also be attributed to refineries around the country that are wrapping up seasonal maintenance and switching to producing summer blend fuel, which is more expensive to refine than winter blend. The cost of oil has a much higher price tag than before too, with prices up to about $80 a barrel and up at about $10 more than a few months ago.
“Gasoline demand surged to levels not seen since before the pandemic, according to last week’s report from the Energy Information Administration,” said Mark Schieldrop, Senior Spokesperson for AAA Northeast. “At the same time, national stocks of gasoline tightened. Increased demand and tighter supply are pushing pump prices higher.”
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AAA Northeast’s March 11 survey of fuel prices found the current average to be 4 cents higher than last week ($3.35), averaging $3.39 a gallon. Today’s national average price is 21 cents higher than a month ago ($3.18), and 8 cents lower than this day last year ($3.47), according to the press release.
AAA Northeast is a not-for-profit auto club with 67 offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than 6 million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance, and auto-related services.
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