Motorists in some Iowa cities can’t miss the fact that gasoline prices have risen more than 60-cents a gallon since New Year’s Day, but one expert says it appears to be more the exception than the rule. Brian Ortner, at AAA Iowa, chalks it up to isolated fluctuations in certain metro areas of the state, as he says the major factors that typically influence big gas price swings just aren’t appearing.
Crude oil has been trending around 60-dollars a barrel the past few weeks and it’s slightly above that now, but he says it’s not so high that it would trigger drastic price hikes.
Ortner wouldn’t speculate on whether the U-S military actions in oil-rich Venezuela have had an impact on gas prices in Iowa, as there haven’t been any significant jumps in the national figures. Still, some Iowa cities are seeing big bounces in pump prices. For example, regular unleaded was selling in Des Moines for a $1.87 a gallon on January 1st, but now the average price in Iowa’s largest city is over $2.50.
AAA says the cheapest gas in Iowa is now in Council Bluffs at two-29 a gallon, while it’s the most expensive in Ames at two-66. The statewide average is two-50, which is 34-cents below the national average. www.gasprices.aaa.com/.
