U.S. gasoline prices are rising after the Russian invasion in Ukraine and could hit $4 per gallon, according to data from the AAA.
The average price per gallon of gasoline reached $3.57 as of Friday, according to GasBuddy data, after starting the week at $3.51.
A year ago, the average price for gasoline was $2.65 per gallon.
“Russia is one of the leading oil producers globally, behind only the United States and Saudi Arabia and if they choose to withhold their oil from the global market, such a move would eventually be reflected in higher gas prices for American drivers,” AAA spokesman Andrew Gross said, as quoted by the Epoch Times.
The gas price increase to $4 could happen in the next few weeks, according to analysts, if the conflict continues that long.
President Joe Biden this week tried to quench worries about the security of energy supply, saying, “We’re closely monitoring energy supply for any disruption, and we’re executing a plan … toward a collective investment to secure stability in global energy supplies.”
The resident also assured the public the White House will take steps to control prices at the pump, with Biden saying, “I want to limit the pain to the American people fueling at the gas pump … This is critical to me.” No concrete measures for reining in prices were mentioned.
Fighting the surge in gasoline prices will be even tougher today than it was last year when Biden released crude from the strategic petroleum reserve. First, there is the tight global supply of crude, which has been fueling the price rally even before Russia moved on Ukraine.
Second, there is the fact that the U.S. is a major importer of crude oil and has a limited source of it because of its sanctions against Venezuela. As a result, Russia has become a major supplier of the heavy crude U.S. refineries need to produce fuels. Sanction action on Russia’s energy industry could interfere with Biden’s plans for reining in fuel prices at home.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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