CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the Russia-Ukraine crisis continues in Europe, the price at the pump in Corpus Christi continues to rise.
Daniel Armbruster, a spokesperson for AAA Texas, says, "What's happening between Russian and Ukraine, and of course the West sanctioning the oil exports from Russia, that is having a big impact on the price of crude oil."
AAA Texas reports that gas prices in Corpus Christi, and statewide in Texas, are at all-time highs. As of last week, the statewide average price of one gallon is four dollars.
That's higher than the Coastal Bend sees after natural disasters.
"I don't ever recall us seeing a 62 cent increase week-to-week for the statewide average, as well as Corpus Christi—even following a hurricane," says Armbruster.
The price of one gallon of gas is about 50-60 percent, dependent on the price of crude oil. With President Joe Biden's executive order last week to ban U.S. imports of Russian oil, those prices are going up.
The start of Spring Break travel and the loosening of COVID-19 restrictions are also factors.
Armbruster comments on this, "And a lot of that had to do with COVID. Certainly, we saw prices, the statewide average got down to $1.47 in 2020 and then we started seeing prices increase as demand increased. As people got vaccinated, we saw a global demand for crude and crude products increase."
The average cost of a gallon of gas in Texas is high compared to a year ago, but still less than other states like California, which is currently at $5.69 per gallon.
This time last year, the average price in Corpus Christi was $2.59 per gallon. That is more than a dollar less than it is now.
As conflict abroad continues, the end of the price spike is not yet in sight.
Armbruster echoes this sentiment, "No one knows the answer to that. There's so many things that can change, so many variables. But at this point, it doesn't look like it's going to turn around anytime soon."
In the meantime, AAA Texas suggests for drivers to practice good habits to conserve gas:
- Avoiding speeding
- Do not accelerate too quickly
- Find the best local gas prices using their app
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