Carson City gas prices easing heading into Labor Day

Gasoline prices going into the Labor Day weekend are easing, according to both a national survey website and word on the street in Carson City.

Many U.S. motorists will see the least expensive Labor Day weekend pump prices since 2010, according to GasBuddy.com, whose chief oil analyst said the good price news will last beyond mid-September.

“We expect to see stable gasoline prices from now through mid-September,” said Tom Kloza, the analyst. “Some more significant declines could come after Sept. 15.”

At Carson City’s 7/Eleven gas station and mini-mart on North Carson Street, Nicholas Miller said Wednesday he had lowered the pump price for regular to $3.639 recently. Miller, the store manager, said he expected to do so again soon because of the trend. Outside pumping gas, meanwhile, a Washoe County resident who lives between Carson City and Reno basically said the price is what it is and people must fill up whatever the cost.

Tom Enos, who has resided near the Chocolate Nugget to the north of Carson City for six months, said Carson City gas is cheaper than Reno’s. He also gave his views on why the price is less expensive going into this Labor Day weekend than in recent years, and may stay down.

“When you look at the increased production in oil in this country, and know that consumption over the last four or five years has been pretty flat,” he said, “the price should be 50 cents” per gallon. If he was joshing, Enos didn’t crack a smile to hint at it. He said he expects about $100 per barrel will be the top price for oil for the foreseeable future, keeping gas prices reasonable if consumption stays flat.

The 7-Eleven price for regular gas was mirrored at many stations around Carson City, though a couple of spots who always set the floor on Wednesday again undercut that significantly. Costco on the city’s south side, which uses gasoline as a loss leader to attract its customers, offered a pump price for regular of $3.559. That was the price as well at JM Market north of the downtown at Carson and Park Streets.

Near the 7-Eleven at College Parkway and Carson Street, the 76 station gas price for regular at the SaveMart was the same as the mini-mart competitor across Carson Street. Among the others at $3.639 were the Arco am-pm outlets at U.S. 50 East and Lompa Lane, downtown at South Carson and 7th streets, and at the south side outlet at South Carson Street and Clearview Drive.

Also at $3.639 was Golden Gate Petroleum just across from the am-pm on U.S. Highway East at Lompa Lane. The Maverick station at East College Parkway and Research Way was a penny more at $3.649.

Major oil company outlets were higher. Shell and Chevron stations around the city were posting regular pump prices of $3.879.

Nationwide, GasBuddy.com reported August month-to-date prices by Wednesday had averaged $3.458 per gallon, or 13 cents a gallon lower than the previous month’s average. In part that is because 10 mid-Atlantic, southern or southwestern states are even lower and may boast prices of less than $3.25 a gallon during the upcoming weekend.

GasBuddy reported the lowest metro gas price in the nation this month was in Rock Hill, S.C., at $3.057 a gallon. South Carolina has the lowest prices in the nation, averaging $3.158 month-to-date.