MESA, Ariz. — Gas prices have been on the rise, marking the highest prices so far this year. National gas prices have gone up about 13 cents per gallon in the last few weeks.
The average price for a gallon of gas in Arizona is about $3.90. That’s $.07 higher than the national average, which is $3.83 a gallon. In Maricopa County, the average price per gallon of gas is even higher than the statewide average, at about $4.00 per gallon.
David Holt, the president of the Consumer Energy Alliance said there are many factors causing the rise. From the summer heat, to it being prime driving vacation season, to OPEC production. The biggest factor, Holt said, is a drawdown from OPEC.
“OPEC is not producing as much oil as it had been, and regulations in this country on oil, natural gas and refining have really restricted the ability of industry to meet the needs of driving consumers," Holt said.
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Steps can be taken to lower the high cost of gas. If changes were made, it would also ease rising prices on other things consumers buy like groceries, lumber and housing costs. Holt said it starts with improving the regulatory system with a sensible energy policy in the United States.
“A lot of our energy policy is fundamentally flawed," Holt said. "We need to make sure we find really good ways to be environmentally responsible and continue to use oil and natural gas in a thoughtful way. A lot of regulations are artificially inflating the price of oil and gas, which inflates gas and diesel. That hits us in pocket book.”
Holt added, "It doesn’t matter if republican or democrat, make sure every elected official from local to state to national to federal understands that we’re watching energy prices, watching gasoline prices and they matter.”
With Labor Day one month away from, experts are tracking gas prices closely. Holt said it's a tough call, but he expected prices to get worse before getting better.
“It's really unknown, if we do move further into recession, then demand will go down more," Holt said. "If the economy comes back and people start moving a little bit more and driving more, you might see gas prices go up even more. So, it's a hard read right now. We could see this increase about where it is now. It could go up even more, it could go down a little bit. My sense is it will go up a little bit more.”
Unfortunately for people who live in the Valley, the top 10 cheapest places to get gas in Arizona are quite a drive outside of the greater Phoenix-area, according to GasBuddy. If you make the drive to Cottonwood this weekend, a Chevron there has gas for $2.79 per gallon, also according to GasBuddy.
The cheapest spot to get gas in the Valley, according to GasBuddy, is a Costco at 33rd Ave. and Grand. If you're not a Costco member, the best place is a Shell at Cooper and Ray in Gilbert. The cash price is $3.53 per gallon.
Looking for the best ways to save money on gas? Holt said they're the simple steps we can take to being smart drivers. Use the discount grocery or card points, run as many errands as you can in one trip, check apps like GasBuddy for deals and drive on the highway with windows up and air conditioning on.
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