Gas prices in California expected to remain high after switch to summer blend
Drivers will have to wait until September for a price drop, according to officials.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Filling up at the pump is a pain for all drivers in California. However, the task hurts a little more for people like Kerri Angelo, who was recently visiting from out of state.
"In Utah, I think when we left, it was probably 80 bucks," Angelo said.
According to AAA spokesperson Anlleyn Venegas, the national average price for a gallon of gas in the U.S. is $3.58.
"We did see that gas prices jumped up last week but they are back down a bit today," Venegas said during an interview with ABC7 on Tuesday. "Memorial Day weekend is the highest demand season for gasoline and our prices went up as demand increased before those trips started."
Gas prices are more than a dollar less than the average one year ago when the country was paying an average of $4.62.
The highest recorded average price for regular unleaded gas, according to AAA, was set on June 14 last year when gas hit $5.02. In California, drivers are paying the most in the U.S. with a state average of $4.86.
"In California, we're always going to pay more for gas," said Venegas. "High state gas taxes are one reason. The state's clean air policies is another reason."
AAA said the Golden State has already switched over to a summer blend, which reduces emissions during the summer when more people are driving.
However, it's more expensive to produce and distribute.
"In California, refineries do switch a lot earlier than other states to the summer blend gasoline and summer blend gasoline is used for a longer period so unfortunately, we're always going to pay more for gasoline," Venegas said.
AAA said California drivers will have to wait until September for refineries to switch from summer to winter blend and that's when we may see prices drop 15 to 20 cents.
