Top 10 for fuel no more
Vehicles line up at the pumps for fuel Monday at a Sherman Avenue station. While the cost of gas jumped up at some stations in Coeur d'Alene, they held steady in most and remain around $3 a gallon.
BILL BULEY/Press
COEUR d'ALENE — This is one top-10 list Idaho is no longer on. And that's a good thing.
According to AAA, Idaho on Monday ranked 13th in the nation for most expensive fuel as winter storms and holiday travel sent prices higher in other parts of the country.
Idaho’s average price for regular gasoline was $3.40 per gallon, which is 3 cents less than a week ago and 46 cents less than a month ago.
Several Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls stations jumped back to about $3 for a gallon of regular unleaded, with a few under that benchmark. Prices at some stations shot up to the $3.30s.
Meanwhile, the national average sits at $3.28 per gallon, which is 6 cents more than a week ago and just 4 cents less than a month ago.
“The national average rose daily starting on Christmas Eve, as holiday travel and severe weather motivated drivers to fill up," said AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde. "But fortunately, Idaho was spared from the recent spike, and prices here have continued to drop."
Now that some of those issues have resolved, both Idaho and U.S. average prices could go down this week, barring disruptions in the cost of crude oil, Conde said.
According to the Energy Information Administration, gas demand dropped from 9.3 to 7.5 million barrels per day last week. Lower demand has stabilized the national average, which dropped a penny over the weekend, according to AAA.
The West Texas Intermediate benchmark for crude oil is currently trading near $75 per barrel, which is $2 less than a week ago and $4 more than a month ago.
Idaho gas prices as of Monday: Boise, $3.44; Franklin, $3.19; Idaho Falls, $3.39 and Lewiston, $3.50.