Why are gas prices going up again?
BOSTON - It is happening again. After weeks of seemingly steady prices, the cost of gasoline is creeping up.
AAA said the average price is currently $3.69 per gallon in Massachusetts as of Tuesday. That's up 11 cents from this time last week.
The good news is the state average is nine cents lower than the national average of $3.78 a gallon. The national average is up 14 cents in the last week.
"We are seeing the first big price movement in weeks now," AAA Northeast spokesperson Mark Schieldrop told WBZ-TV.
Prices are going up nationwide even though demand hasn't increased, according to AAA. The agency said there are two major factors - rising oil prices and the heat suppressing production at refineries along the Gulf Coast.
"The heat, particularly in Texas and Louisiana has really affected output there by a good amount and we are starting to see the impact on the overall market," Schieldrop said.
Those hitting the road like the Mariaca family from Pawtucket, Rhode Island, said they are feeling the difference. They spoke with WBZ on the way home from a camping trip in New Hampshire. The family pulled their camper for the long weekend.
"We all feel it," said Victor Mariaca. "From the refrigerator to the gas tank, in all aspects where you are paying. You just kind of have to pinch more pennies to make things happen."
Other drivers, like Sandra Lopez-Burke, said they ditched the pump years ago and have never looked back. "The good news is I don't have to worry about it," said Lopez-Burke. "My husband has a car that uses gas, and he spends a lot of money monthly and I am like pennies on the dollar."
Lopez-Burke bought an electric car three years ago and said, "We wanted to be environmentally friends and connected with what is happening with climate change."
