ATLANTA — ATLANTA – Before you faint over the current price of gasoline, consider what our friends out west are facing.
The average price of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.61 a gallon in Georgia. That’s well below the national average of $2.86 a gallon.
In California, drivers are paying $4.07 for regular unleaded. In Oregon, the price is $3.43 while in Washington it’s a dime more.
Why are drivers out west paying so much more?
First, there are taxes.
In general, the tax on gas here in the south quarter a gallon less than it is out west. Georgia’s tax is 53-cents a gallon. California’s gas tax is 72-cents a gallon.
But that’s only part of the story.
“Different areas of the country require different fuel blends to combat smog,” says Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores. “The west requires specific blends.”
California’s requirements for “clean fuel” are more stringent than the rest of the country, which means it’s more expensive.
California’s refineries run at full capacity to meet the demands of drivers in that state. If there’s any disruption to the supply, getting their type of fuel from other parts of the country can be difficult and expensive.
“There is east of the Rockies and west of the Rockies,” says Leonard. “It’s almost like two countries. The barrier of the Rockies makes getting product from the east difficult.”
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