Michigan gas 2nd highest in the nation...why????

So gas prices have been hanging around the 3.60- 370 range for awhile...thought that was kinda high but then overnight up to 4.15 and now 4.29 a gallon....
Second highest in the nation after Hawaii'

What the hell happened/

Same thing happened here in Indiana. We were at 3.79 and overnight it jumped to 4.25. I'm not sure what the heck caused the huge price jump either.

reply to post by BobM88


Wisconsin - 3.99 a gallon as of 2 days ago. Why?

reply to post by tinner07


Here in Chicago I paid $4.59 today (for regular)...... This happens around the same time each year. Its because gas companies need to add a to fuel during the hotter spring/summer months which increases the cost each year...

Twice every year in the United States, the fuel supply changes. It's known as the seasonal gasoline transition. This change is the biggest reason for the price hike in summer gasoline. Depending on the time of year, gas stations switch between providing summer-grade fuel and winter-grade fuel. The switch started in 1995 as part of the Reformulated Gasoline Program (RFG), which was established through the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) started the RFG program in order to reduce pollution and smog during the summer ozone season, which occurs from June 1 to Sept. 15 [Source: EPA].

In order to reduce pollution, summer-blend fuels use different oxygenates, or fuel additives. These blends, the EPA claims, burn cleaner and also help compensate for a limited oil supply. The EPA says this practice of using seasonal blends also encourages the development of alternative fuels [Source: EPA]. (Remember that gasoline isn't just made up of processed crude oil -- it's a blend of refined crude oil and different compounds and additives.)

The article in our local Detroit area paper said an unspecified problem at an unspecified refinery is causing the spike......includes 5 MIdwest states.
Here's what I found out:

Maintenance issues at refineries across the country have caused spikes first in the Midwest cornbelt and now closer to home, DeHaan said.

“Now everyone’s rushing the pumps, because prices have been going through the roof,” he said. And that increase in demand can drive prices even higher.

The good news is this is temporary. DeHaan predicts in a week or two prices will settle back down to “normal” — the mid- to upper-$3 range.

www.hollandsentinel.com...

Gas hit $4.15 in West Michigan on Saturday, June 1, and stayed there days after. Analysts blamed refinery troubles in the Midwest and rumors one refinery was short on supply.

www.mlive.com...

According to gasbuddy.com, problems at refineries in Indiana and Illinois — which supply states within the Great Lakes region — forced production to refineries in Kansas and Oklahoma, resulting in higher costs.

www.detroitnews.com...

Wait a minute men....in Texas we just dropped 10 cents two days ago to $3.29...........


ETA.....something is coming down the pipeline.....I can feel it getting closer like heat from a campfire
.

If you examine the reason they say that gas prices work you will find that the system of supply and demand has little to do with gas prices going down. It will raise prices but the refineries can manipulate their inventory. It is the speculation that drives prices up the most. It is all a scam, the government should have never deregulated gas and oil prices. We put laws into effect to protect the American people and congress threw out the laws years ago. What a crooked government, I would love to examine the bank accounts of the congressmen, especially the offshore accounts.

reply to post by tinner07


I paid $4.27 today on the Ohio / Indiana border.

That is up almost $.50 from last week.

When I complained to the station owner, he said he was told that there are some refineries broken down.

reply to post by DontTreadOnMe


That's nice of them to say that, . But, .. . didn't they say that about 2 months ago.

If the refineries are so damn broke D**K, then why don't they build NEW refineries? It is the same thing I say Every time they post $90 Billion Dollars in profits Every Quarter.

$5.29 a gallon in Canada...quit whining.

reply to post by superman2012


Is that Per Gallon or Per Litre .. .. ?

There is a HUGE differene By The Way.

P.S. .. Canada uses the Metric System of measurement so I am confused with your statement.

reply to post by jhn7537


That sounds like a fancy "summer air" for the tires joke, except it costs money so it isn't so funny

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


I converted it. We are at $1.399 per litre.

$1.48 per litre where I live. Canadian gallon is 4.54 litres so our price is $6.72 per gallon.

Consider yourselves lucky.

Peace

reply to post by jude11


I was going 3.78. Poor Jude. Saskatchewan is cheap! Hurray! *groan

Yeah, gas jumped a good 40 cents in the last 48 hours. As stated above, it's to do with the summer blend gasoline being implemented, end-of-school-year hike, refinery supply, as well as speculation concerning production and import.

I hate the summer blend gasoline because it seems like I get 3-4 less MPG. I may have to do some research and see if I can establish which stations sell gasoline that optimizes gas mileage over cost.

It's $4.29 most places around the Port Huron area, read something about a slowdown at some refinery, I noticed no gas stations were closed because there's not enough fuel to go around. Funny how raising the price nullifies the problem at the refinery.

reply to post by tinner07
Wasn't there just a big fire at one of the Detroit Oil refineries or distributors?
You lose equipment required to maintain supply and the demand/cost goes up.

Originally posted by superman2012
$5.29 a gallon in Canada...quit whining.

Yeah... Edmonton hit something like $1.29/litre recently. And traditionally we've had some of the cheapest gas in Canada, due to the fact that we can almost shoot the ground wherever we want Jed Clampett style and find oil. We -still- have more expensive gas than the worst place in the USA. That's the question I -really- want to know the 'why' to. (of course, I know the answer; it's the conservative government we have that has been in power for the last 40 years giving economic favours to the oil companies...) The only 'good' news in this for me is that I don't own a car... :p And this is why.

Yeah every time I'm about to start complaining about gas prices I remember how it was when I lived in Canada. Then I just...*sigh* and shut my mouth.