California Leads Nation With Highest Gas Prices
NEW YORK (AP) - Drivers who have seen a steady rise in the price of gasoline can relax: They will almost certainly be paying far less for gas this summer than they have in at least six years -- except for those in California.
The Energy Department said Tuesday that it expects the price of gasoline to average $2.55 between April and September, which would be the lowest since 2009.
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The one big exception is California, which by far has the highest gasoline prices in the country. California drivers are paying an average of $3.73, higher even than Hawaii and Alaska, which typically pay the nation's highest average price.
An explosion at an ExxonMobil refinery in Southern California in February has reduced supplies throughout the state, and California has special gasoline requirements so it can't easily replenish its stockpile with supplies from elsewhere.
