The average cost of a gallon of gasoline in Denver fell 3.9 cents last week but is still 8 cents higher than the average cost of a gallon nationally.
On Sunday, the average cost of a gallon in Denver was $3.72 compared to the national average of $3.64, according to .
Including the change in gas prices in Denver during the past week, prices on Sunday in Denver were 7.0 cents a gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 10.5 cents a gallon higher than a month ago.
Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy, said that while the national average has seen no change in the past week, prices in the Great Lakes have skyrocketeted.
“In many cities in that region, new all-time record high prices have been set,” said DeHaan.
DeHaan said that the fluctuations in gas prices across the nation are caused by refinery shutdowns. When they go offline, there is an immediate impact at the pump, he said.
“In areas that have featured skyrocketing gasoline prices amidst stable oil prices, refineries continue to be beset with shutdowns, maintenance, and other problems that have hampered production of gasoline and other products, leading to much higher prices,” said DeHaan. “While these situations are difficult for motorists to digest, relief is on the way and will likely arrive in a few weeks.”
Analysts told The Denver Post last week, that offline refineries in the Midwest were having an impact on Denver gas prices – driving them higher as supply was limited and demand high.
GasBuddy operates and more than 250 similar websites that track gasoline prices at more than 140,00 gasoline stations in the United States and Canada.
Howard Pankratz: 303-954-1939, hpankratz@denverpost.com or twitter.com/howardpankratz
