Going back up

COEUR d'ALENE — Jeff Michels doesn't have to drive a lot.

Yet, the recent spike in gas prices still leaves the Coeur d'Alene man shaking his head and wondering what's going on. He worries about the impact on folks who travel from Coeur d'Alene to the Amazon site west of Spokane.

"I feel for all these people commuting back and forth," Michels said Monday.

He noted his son is living in Charlotte, N.C., where gas prices are about $1 a gallon cheaper, and even more at some stations.

Last week, a gallon of regular unleaded gas at Walmart in Hayden was $4.04 a gallon. By the weekend, it was $4.39. The $4 mark is a thing of the past.

The Gem State ranks eighth in the U.S. for most expensive fuel behind California ($6.37), Nevada ($5.49), Oregon ($5.42), Alaska ($5.32), Washington ($5.29), Hawaii ($5.21), and Arizona ($4.49).

Matthew Conde, AAA Idaho spokesman, said tight supplies and growing fuel demand are the main reasons for the recent uptick.

Today, Idaho’s average price for regular is $4.42 per gallon, which is a penny more than a week ago, but 11 cents less than a month ago.

Most stations in Coeur d'Alene were charging $4.49 for a gallon of regular unleaded.

Meanwhile, the national average sits at $3.80 per gallon, which is 7 cents more than a week ago and about the same price as a month ago.

“At least six California refineries are in the middle of seasonal maintenance, and that, coupled with steady demand, has sent shockwaves across the West Coast, with prices jumping by 59 cents a gallon in California this past week, 43 cents in Oregon, and 38 cents in Washington,” Conde said. “Fortunately, prices are still dropping across the southern part of Idaho, but in the Panhandle, drivers are being hard-hit by the skyrocketing prices that Washington is facing.”

For months, Coeur d'Alene drivers were paying less than in other parts of the state, but prices here suddenly jumped, in some places as much as 40 cents a gallon.

Conde said rumor has it that Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, may announce more crude oil production cuts later this week.

If that happens, the price of crude oil, which makes up about half the cost of finished gasoline, is likely to increase, he said.

The West Texas Intermediate benchmark for crude oil was trading near $83 per barrel Monday, which is about $3 less than a month ago and $5 more than a year ago.

Michels said politicians always seem to blame someone else for the cost of gas, noting that President Joe Biden has pointed the finger at oil companies. Not long ago, he also blamed gas station owners.

Michels tends to agree the large corporations are at fault.

"The gas prices are just greedy gas companies taking advantage of things," he said.

Michels, who is retired, said he loves Coeur d'Alene, but not the gas prices. So, he'll drive even less.

"I'm fortunate enough to be able to do that," he said.