SALT LAKE CITY — There’s still a lot of summer left, and you may be considering whether you want to drive to your destination or fly.
Gas prices have gone down in some parts of the country, but what about Utah?
FOX 13 pulled up to the pump and asked Makayla Miller from Draper how she would get to her summer getaway.
“I would drive since I have a hybrid,” Miller said. “It’s about 500 and something miles per gallon.”
“We fly, but most of my vacation has been on the lake, actually,” said Ryan Rosier. “The boat is taking a little bit more gas than normal.”
Whether your mode of transportation is boat, car or plane, gas prices in Utah have gone up — and drivers here have taken notice.
“I have an F-150 at home and it cost me over 90 bucks to fill up,” said Miller. “I bought a hybrid, it was a salvage title, and I got it for a good deal. I had to buy it because I need to save money. Yeah, it’s another payment on my bill every month, but I actually still save money every month on gas.”
And if you can, you should save.
“Utah is certainly one of the bigger monthly increases of about $0.12 a gallon,” said Patrick De Haan with Gas Buddy. “The average price in Utah is about $3.37. Idaho is also seeing one of the biggest monthly increases, up about $0.11.”
The Beehive State happens to not be on trend with other parts of the U.S.
“So far this summer, we’ve certainly seen lower gas prices than we’ve seen in many years,” said Doug Johnson with AAA.
According to AAA, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has kept up with the heavy demand for oil, with more people traveling by car for the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays than we’ve seen in 20 years.
But Utah is paying a little extra to keep up.
“Utah has five oil refineries, and while there is a lot of local crude oil being produced in the state, the primary importer for oil in the state of Utah is coming from either Canada or Mexico,” said Johnson. “And that’s just because the amount of oil that Utah is producing domestically is not keeping up with the demand.”
Due in part to geopolitical uncertainty, the higher gas prices here are not just hitting the everyday car driver.
“The other trend worth mentioning is a jump in the price of diesel, which really has hit areas of the Rockies the hardest,” said De Haan. “Idaho’s average diesel price is up $.33 a gallon in the last month. Utah, the second largest increase with diesel up $.29,” says De Haan. “Across the board, we’re seeing big increases in diesel prices compared to a month ago.”
But there is hope yet.
“I expect that as we progress through the third and fourth quarter of the year, that gas prices should decline,” said De Haan. “In fact, by the end of the year, we certainly could see some gas stations below $3 a gallon in Salt Lake City.”
If you do decide to drive this summer, you can always check AAA and Gas Buddy’s websites to see prices along your route.