Wednesday, April 28, 2010
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Most Americans are paying about $3 a gallon for gas. The residents of McGrath, Alaska, saw their gas prices jump by that amount in one night.
The price at the only pump in the remote town 415 miles northwest of Anchorage went from $6 a gallon Friday to $9.20 the next day.
Crowley Petroleum Distribution says it was forced to raise the price because the winter nearly drained the town's supply, and the only option was to fly in more fuel.
The cost increase is the difference between flying the gasoline and shipping it on a barge. Crowley says it won't be able to send a barge until June at the earliest.
Some of McGrath's estimated 400 residents have formed an anti-Crowley Facebook page and are trying to boycott the company while city officials look for ways to get cheaper fuel.