Sacramento gas prices creep to $4 a gallon — East Coast pipeline cyberattack isn’t reason
Gas prices are on the rise, and costs around Sacramento have crept up to $4 a gallon.
The average price for a gallon of regular-grade gasoline in the area was exactly $4, according to a Monday survey of 720 local gas stations by fuel trend analysis website GasBuddy.com, with prices ranging from about $3.50 to $4.70 a gallon.
The local average is up 2.5 cents a gallon in the last week and 17.5 cents in the past month, according to GasBuddy. The national average has risen 10 cents in the past month, and stood at $2.95 a gallon Monday. California gas prices are typically the highest in the nation.
Prices are rising as the U.S. and local economy continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Costs plummeted last spring, as the global crisis simultaneously brought an economic recession and led to a sharp reduction in commute as well as leisure travel.
On the same date last year, about two months into California’s stay-at-home order, gas in Sacramento averaged about $2.57 a gallon, according to GasBuddy. The same date in 2019, it was $4.01.
On the other side of the country, a cyberattack has besieged major lines operated by Colonial Pipeline in the Southeastern U.S. since late last week.
Automobile company AAA also said in a news release Monday that prices are forecast to climb this week “in reaction to the shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, which delivers approximately 45% of all fuel to the East Coast.”
However, the impact is expected to vary regionally. Unless it takes longer than a few days for the pipeline to come back online, significant price impacts are not anticipated for California or other West Coast states, according to both AAA and GasBuddy analysts.
This story was originally published May 11, 2021 at 1:31 PM with the headline "Sacramento gas prices creep to $4 a gallon — East Coast pipeline cyberattack isn’t reason."
