Gas prices hold steady as oil prices fall

ALBANY — Gas prices stayed basically the same over the past seven-day period, rising only slightly nationally and in the metro Albany area as oil prices moved downward.

According to surveyors GasBuddy and AAA-The Auto Club Group, prices in Georgia were relatively unchanged at $2.10 a gallon (GasBuddy) and $2.135 (AAA). The national average rose by less than a penny to $2.28 a gallon, while prices in the southwest Georgia metro region rose by 1.2 cents a gallon to $2.079, up from $2.067 the week before.

“The national average price of gasoline barely nudged higher last week, driven primarily by stations hiking prices notably in the Great Lakes early last week, pushing the national average to $2.30 per gallon midweek before those states saw stations again cutting prices and chiseling away at the nation’s average price over the weekend,” Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, said in a news release. “With oil prices sinking last week to $51 per barrel on concerns over a slowdown in trade talks with China, many states saw a respite in gas prices.

“However, as pipeline specifications begin to shift toward the first step towards summer gasoline requirements in the weeks ahead, the overhang in gasoline inventories will likely start to dry up and push gas prices higher.”

The lowest prices in Georgia Monday were in the Catoosa-Dade-Walker metro area, at $2.037 a gallon, followed by the Dalton and Warner Robins metro areas ($2.057) and the Augusta-Aiken MSA ($2.059). The state’s highest prices were in the Hinesville-Fort Stewart metro area at $2.168, followed closely by Atlanta’s $2.164.

Taking into account the changes over the past week, prices at the pump now are 32.2 cents per gallon lower than a year ago and are 6.0 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has increased 3.1 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 28.8 cents per gallon lower than a year ago.

File Photo