Valley gas prices drop closer to state’s average

By DON SHILLING and KATIE SEMINARA

Gas prices under $2 had Valley residents lined up at the pumps ready to save.

While filling up her gas tank, when Heather Zbysienski heard the pump click, she was still under $20.

“It’s about time,” she said, acknowledging lower gas prices.

Zbysienski, 25, of Brookfield, paid $1.95 per gallon at the Shell station in Hubbard on Monday while filling up her sedan.

Drivers in Salem also paid less than $2 a gallon for gas.

Despite these falling prices, the Mahoning Valley has had the highest gas prices in the state throughout this fall. It remains the only metropolitan area in the state with an average price of more than $2 a gallon.

The average price Monday in the Mahoning Valley was $2.13, the AAA auto club said. The state average was $1.97.

“I think this is just a tease,” said Lee O’Hara, of Hubbard.

“By Christmas [prices will] be back up again,” he said.

O’Hara owns a landscaping business and uses up to 20 gallons of gas per week on his mowers, plus 15 to 20 gallons per week on his truck.

When gas prices were at their highs, it was easy to spend $300 a week at the pump, he said.

“This is real good. Usually I can’t get out of here for under $150,” said O’Hara, who was also at the Hubbard Shell.

Though O’Hara was glad to be saving, he wondered: What’s the real reason for the dip in gas prices?

As the worldwide economy has slumped, crude oil prices have fallen from $147 a barrel in July to about $60 now. That has led to a drop of more than $1 a gallon in the past month.

Consumers should expect gas prices to remain roughly about $2 a gallon, give or take 25 cents, throughout this fall and winter, said Ed Weglarz, executive vice president of the Associated Food and Petroleum Dealers.

A cold winter, however, could push up prices if the industry has to divert more crude oil to home heating oil processing, he said.

The average price a year ago was $3.11 in the Mahoning Valley, the AAA said.

Weglarz said, however, that he doesn’t know why prices would be higher in the Mahoning Valley than the rest of the state.

Gasoline retailers tend to set their prices based on what the competition is doing, and wholesale prices vary based on what distributors are used, he said. Prices often fluctuate throughout the state and even within the same region, he said.

John Hazen, 36, of Hubbard, figured it’s been about two years since he paid less than $2 a gallon for gas.

“I’m happy it’s finally below $2,” he said.

Hazen said he has heard rumors that prices were down because of the recent political races.

“The elections are over and it’s still down — we can hope it will stay,” he said.

SEE ALSO: Gas prices in the state.