Gasoline prices are finally falling, and the trend is expected to continue.
According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, the average price of gasoline in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area is $3.76 per gallon, down 11 cents over the week. The state average is $3.79 a gallon, down 8 cents in the last week, and the national gas average is $3.67 a gallon, down 12 cents in the last week.
Gasoline prices typically fall after Labor Day, but this year was a little different, said AAA spokeswoman Jana Tidwell.
"Refinery issues, unexpected shutdowns and pipeline problems didn't allow gas prices to fall as they typically do in the autumn months," Ms. Tidwell said. "Those problems have been corrected."
Other factors leading to gasoline prices falling are a decrease in demand after the summer driving season and a shift to a less expensive winter-blended fuel, Ms. Tidwell said. Summer fuel is more expensive because it's chemically balanced to sustain extreme heat so it doesn't evaporate, she said. Wholesale gasoline prices also have begun to drop, she said.
Analysts like Fred Rozell, retail pricing director for the Oil Price Information Service, predict gasoline prices will continue to drop. He said gasoline prices in the area could drop to $3.50 a gallon over the next three to four weeks.
"The way wholesale prices have been, the prices are trending lower and I think we'll continue to see the decline," Mr. Rozell said. "I think we'll see prices (are) going to drop for the remainder of the year, at least through November. I think the national average will go down to about $3.30 a gallon and I think you'll see some states under $3 a gallon."
Although a downward trend has begun, gasoline prices are still higher than ever for this time of year. One year ago, the average price of gasoline in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area was $3.50 a gallon. The highest average gas price in the area so far this year was $3.97 a gallon in September, according to AAA. The highest average gasoline price in the area to date was $4.06 a gallon in July of 2008.
The price of gasoline at Sheetz in Wilkes-Barre was $3.75 a gallon on Monday. Motorists interviewed there said the price drop provides some relief, but it's still not low enough.
"I think it needs to be a lot lower," said Spring Brook Twp. resident Jim White, 60, who travels often with his job as a field installation coordinator for Vector Security. "It should be less than $3."
As gasoline prices per gallon at $3-plus have become the new normal, Mr. White said, "I certainly drive a lot less."
Laurel Run resident Carol Kropp, 50, who works in the cafeteria at Kistler Elementary School in Wilkes-Barre, said she typically pays for the high gas prices with a bank card and saves her cash to buy groceries. Although gas prices have dropped slightly, the price of groceries has not gone down, she said.
"It's very hard because we have to put gas on a card. We used to pay cash, but we really need our cash for groceries," Ms. Kropp said, adding she looks for sales and buys store brand items. "I wouldn't mind the price of gas going lower, but I'm glad it came down."
Contact the writer: dallabaugh@citizensvoice.com