High gas prices arrive ahead of eclipse visitors; expected to stick around for a while

The double impact of the solar eclipse and Labor Day holiday may contribute to increasing gas prices across the state for the next few weeks, according to the Oregon/Idaho AAA.

The auto club is encouraging Idahoans who are staying close to home to keep a full gas tank and avoid the potential for higher prices and longer lines at the pump. “The Solar Eclipse is great, but I hope the community is excited for people to come and visit and not just taking advantage of the fact that people have to get gas,” Mari Lucero, who is in town from Boston, said. As of Tuesday, the average price of regular unleaded gas in Idaho is $2.65 per gallon, which is 12 cents higher than a month ago and 21 cents higher than a year ago. Prices have increased about 9 cents a gallon over the past week. AAA said the increase is being driven by an increasing demand, but said there is no issue with the supply. “There are no real supply side issues,” AAA spokesman Matthew Conde said. “What you will see is this abundance of demand more than you would typically see and for that reason you are bound to have additional price pressure.” Conde said crude oil markets are uncertain. Since the first of August, crude oil prices have hovered near $49. Tuesday, oil started trading at $47.49 per barrel. Oil producing nations have committed to increased production. Domestic oil inventories continue to drop, but new oil exploration is still expanding in the U.S. “There are conflicting signs in the marketplace right now,” Conde said. “When oil inventories go down, the number of active oil rigs often follows suit. Current conditions suggest that oil companies remain confident that American crude oil can be processed at a reasonable price point.” AAA believes that the increase in gas prices will stick around until after Labor Day, when gas prices tend to trend downwards for the winter months. “There is room for a little bit of opportunism as far as the retailer is concerned,” Conde said. The Idaho Attorney Generals Office said it was received a few calls about the increasing gas prices, but said there is “nothing illegal about high prices.” A spokesman said the only way increasing prices would be illegal would be if the governor issued a state of emergency, which is unlikely. “The Solar Eclipse is great,” Lucero said. “I hope the community is excited for people to come and visit and not just taking advantage of the fact that people have to get gas.”