SHAWANO, WI-Residents across the area are encountering higher gas prices. Patrick DeHaan of Gasbuddy.com says it is an outcome of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. “States are reopening and Americans are finding places to go. Demand for gasoline is at the highest level now since the pandemic started last March, and that is why we are paying more,” DeHaan said. He added that the supply of gas is not matching the demand.
The projection is that gas prices could reach $3.00 a gallon by Memorial Day and said that has not happened in years. “It has been since October of 2014 that Wisconsin’s state average reached $3.00 a gallon,” he said. “Looking at Wisconsin, we have seen such prices back in 2018 and 2019. Prices escalated in 2019 from a low of $2.08 up to a summer high of $2.85. In 2019, the jump was not as big but the prices were higher than with prices over $2.90 a gallon.”
De Haan says customers can shop around, as prices vary from station to station.
“The end game, we could see prices continue to climb and we could near 3.00 this summer as long as OPEC continues to decline to increase oil production or we continue to have a supply that lags behind demand. If we don’t drive much, we can keep price increases in check. There is not a whole lot that Americans can do besides parking their car more often.”
He also confirmed that there is not any direct action done by the new Biden Administration that has impacted prices directly. “At this point, it is not having an effect on prices. There is plenty of pipeline capacity. Nothing that President Biden has done has impacted prices as of yet.”
De Haan says another increase could come as we start to move from winter gas to summer gas.
“We have made the first step toward moving away from pure winter gasoline. The final step will be done by May 1st and that will slightly increase the price of gas as well.”
As of Monday, prices in Shawano range from 2.59 at Shawano Service to $2.74 at Kwik Trip and the Shell. Shawano Service owner Rod Thiel says that is because they are smaller so they do not buy gas as often as some of the bigger stations do. He says he too expects his prices to creep up as he continues to buy gas.
Gas prices are as low as $2.49 in Clintonville and as high as $2.69.
The lowest prices in Wisconsin as of Tuesday were $2.39 and the average price at the pump was $2.68.
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