The Reason Behind The Price Jump At The Pump
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- If you filled up your car recently, you might have noticed a price jump at the gas station.
Gas prices went up about 10 cents a gallon in the Twin Cities Wednesday, and have gone up over 20 cents a gallon since last week. GasBuddy.com says prices in Minnesota are expected to keep going up.
"I wish I would have [filled up my tank] ahead of time," St. Paul resident Liesl Koehnen said.
AAA Minneapolis Public Relations Coordinator Jamie Korf says the increase is "not your imagination playing tricks on you." While retail averages in most states have dropped as much as 50 cents per gallon, Minnesota and other Midwest states saw an overnight increase by as much as 17 cents per gallon.
The reason for the price jump? GasBuddy.com reports 12 Midwest oil refineries are having routine maintenance work done. The maintenance work is causing a decrease in supply. With less output from refineries comes higher prices at the pump.
"It's immediately felt," Chanhassen resident Robert Foster said. "As soon as those prices change at the pump, I feel it in the wallet."
Still others say a dime or two a gallon is not too significant. Prices were, on average, 60 cents higher a year ago.
"I don't really watch it a whole lot to be honest with you because I feel like it will go down soon enough," Minneapolis resident Kelly Elvester said.
There is no timeline on when the refinery maintenance work will be complete.
Other states affected by the supply shortage include Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky.
