Memorial Day weekend roadtrips will cost more as gas prices top $3 a gallon

Prices at the gas pump have climbed above $3 a gallon with Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start of the summer vacation season just weeks away.
 Weiser’s four gas retailers are usually pretty close in price. On Monday gas prices around town ranged from $3.10 to $3.14 a gallon, a difference of four cents.
 Weiser motorists are paying more than both the state and national average gas price, according to AAA Idaho, which tracks gas prices.
 The national average price for a gallon of gas on Monday was $2.89. In Idaho, the average price was $3.11.
 The run-up in gas prices over the past couple of weeks represents about a 50-cent increase from one month ago, when the average cost in Idaho was $2.63 per gallon.
 The current price is close to the average price Idaho drivers were paying one year ago of $3.10 per gallon.
 The increase in gas prices is primarily due to increased demand and reduced refinery capacity during a time of seasonal maintenance, along with the production of fuel that costs more to produce, AAA Idaho spokesman Matthew Conde said.
 “When refineries make the switch to the more-expensive summer-blend fuel, they usually take the opportunity to catch up on maintenance and repairs,” Conde said.  
 In the Rockies region, refinery utilization is generally in the 91 to 93 percent range, but overall utilization recently dropped to 81 percent. That means that there is less fuel on hand to meet the growing demand.
 There are not many refineries in the region so it doesn’t take much to begin to constrain supply. Much of the gas sold in southern Idaho comes from the five refineries located in the Salt Lake City area.
 The price increase is also supply and demand at work. During the winter, fewer people are driving and the supply from refineries can keep up with seasonal demand, allowing gas prices to drop.
 Summer brings vacations and more driving, increasing demand and putting a strain on refineries to keep up. Summer blend gas is more expensive to make because it requires certain additives that keep it from evaporating in hotter weather.
 Research by AAA into travel trends reveals that people won’t adjust their vacation plans until pump prices are at $3.50 or above,” Conde said.
 “Because fuel is the lifeblood of the road trip, people may make adjustments in other areas, such as cheaper dining options, to help offset the additional expense,” he said.
 Weiser drivers had been enjoying a break on prices at the pump that began after Labor Day in 2018 and continued for most of the winter.
 At one point Idaho’s gas price was $2.29 a gallon. For the most part, those savings have come to an end.