Carson City pump prices heat up; upside room to run

Gasoline pump prices increased almost a dime per gallon in Nevada during the past week, GasBuddy.com reported Monday.

In Carson City, where unleaded regular pump prices generally are lower than the state’s average, the lowest pair of stations hit $2.06 a gallon based on the GasBuddy website’s survey. The two locations were Costco, 7000 Old Clear Creek Road, and Eagle Gas, 1360 S. Carson St. Five Arco am-pm stations ranged from $2.07 to $2.10 a gallon. There were four other stations at $2.15 and three outlets listing $2.19. Others trailed the leaders.

Statewide, the website reported, average retail gas prices had risen 9.5 cents a gallon and averaged $2.42 a gallon on Sunday. The survey includes 1,130 outlets around the state.

“Prices at the pump are starting to heat back up,” said Patrick DeHaan, website petroleum analyst, “mostly driven by a rebound in crude oil prices.”

He reported that, nationally, almost nine of 10 stations are selling at more than $2 per gallon, while a month ago less than half of stations across the nation were selling at more than $2.

The national average price per gallon increased over the previous week by 7.6 cents per gallon, the website indicated, reaching $2.25 a gallon Sunday.

DeHaan called it a seasonal rebound in pricing, which is led by crude oil’s rebound, adding it is “soon to be enhanced by refinery maintenance season, which hasn’t yet gotten well under way.”

The website report put the price in perspective this way: it has increased 17.5 cents per gallon during the past month, and yet stands 110.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

While Nevada motorists might lament the 9.5 cents per gallon increase of the past week, perspective also was available here. Neighboring California was among the states with the largest leap in prices in the past week, all of them more than a dime, and when you exclude Hawaii and Alaska, California cities captured all 25 spots of the two 25 cities labeled as “most expensive communities” across the remaining 48 states.