Washington gas prices drop slightly

(The Center Square) – After over 12 straight weeks of price drops, Washington fuel prices are still falling but have slowed to a crawl. Starting the last week of September the price of gas fell double digits week over week, until this week and the week prior.

On Monday, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded was sitting at $3.84 statewide, down from $3.88 the week prior, according to AAA data. This four-cent decrease per gallon decreased the already slow rate of decline of six cents per gallon from the week prior.

“Increasing supply and low gasoline demand are pushing pump prices lower,” said AAA in a statement. “As demand remains low and stocks rise, drivers will likely continue to see pump prices decrease through next year.”

While this may be the case on a national level, citizens of the Evergreen State are still firmly on the expensive end of the fuel market nationwide. Washington’s pump prices were again only beat out by Nevada, California, and Hawaii.

Compared with the national average of $3.21 per gallon, Washington’s $3.84 does place it 63 cents per gallon higher than that average. This is a full $1.07 off the nation’s least expensive fuel costs of $2.77 per gallon currently paid by Georgians.

In Washington intra-state variance remains high, spanning a range of 94 cents per gallon. The outliers this week are again both on the same side of the Cascade Range. King County and Skagit County, both part of the Interstate 5 corridor, represent the most and least expensive gas prices statewide at $4.23 and $3.29 per gallon respectively.

Other than the exception of Skagit county, this price variance still largely follows the Cascade Range, with residents to the west paying a higher premium at the pump than residents to the east. This could be a result of one of the few refineries in the state being located in Skagit County.

On top of the nation-topping prices, as of Jan. 1st of this year Washingtonians also have a new cap-and-trade tax to contend with. Originally projected to cost an additional 46 cents per gallon, the first carbon auction concluded last month, and that price may be a little high.

According to previous reporting by The Center Square, Washington Policy Center environmental director Todd Myers said prices may only rise 28 cents per gallon. This is based on 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide selling for $35 per metric ton.