COLUMBUS, Ohio – Elevated because of supply problems, retail gas prices in central Ohio may start declining soon, according to the AAA.
Friday morning’s average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $2.76 in Columbus, according to the daily survey by the auto club, the Oil Price Information Service and WEX, Inc. That is a 14-cent increase in one week, one of the largest weekly jumps in the nation.
A major refinery in Toledo is expected to be offline for two to three weeks while the fluid catalytic cracking unit is replaced, keeping the price in Ohio from dropping, AAA public relations manager Michael Green said.
ExxonMobil and Citgo refineries in in Illinois are also running at reduced rates, the result being that Ohio motorists have seen the largest month-over-month price increase in the nation: 36 cents per gallon.
With the exception of California, the price has climbed by a nickel or more per gallon in every state since May 1, Green said. Gas prices surged this spring due to a rally in crude oil prices, seasonal refinery maintenance, and the changeover to summer-blend gasoline, he said.
Viewing the tank as half-full, Ohioans have enjoyed one of the biggest one-year price declines in the nation. The price at the pump is $1.15 cheaper than one year ago, the AAA said.