BOSTON — Gas prices continue their upward trend, hitting a record national average of $4.36 per gallon according to GasBuddy.com.
GasBuddy said the previous record from March was $4.35 per gallon. The company said the rise comes as the petroleum industry reacts to increasing sanctions against Russian oil sales on the world market by the European Union as a result of their invasion of Ukraine. Combined with decreased production from other oil-producing countries, the demand continues to outstrip supply.
GasBuddy said diesel prices hit an average nationwide of $5.53 per gallon, continuing a surge in recent weeks. The increase not only sets a new record for the difference between gasoline but outright highs for diesel fuel.
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Drivers in Connecticut saw the drop in prices with the rollback of the state gas tax, which amounted to a decrease of $0.25 gallon.
The reduction, originally scheduled to run from April 1 to July 1, was extended to December 1 by the state legislature last week.
For drivers, the company doesn't foresee a downward trend anytime soon. “There’s little, if any, good news about fuel prices heading into summer,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "And the problem could become worse should we see an above-average hurricane season, which could knock out refinery capacity at a time we badly need it as refined product inventories continue to plummet."
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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