|
According to Molly Hart, a spokesperson for AAA auto club, fuel
price increases in the past week are the result of multiple
different factors, which range in how widespread their impact is
felt.
“There is a refinery outage in Joliet, I do not have
confirmation that's fully up and running, but when things like
that happen you can see the effect at the gas pump,” Hart said.
“Geopolitical events always play a role as well into what's
happening to the gas prices.”
Illinois isn’t the only state impacted by reported issues at the
ExxonMobil refinery in Joliet, instead that refining capacity
cutback can be felt in other nearby states according to Hart.
“[In] Michigan it jumped from $4.49 it went up 33 cents, so all
these states are seeing an uptick in gas prices,” Hart said.
The refinery issue that occurred on Oct. 20, the shutdown of a
50,000-barrel-per-day catalytic reformer used in one step of the
refining process, was still being addressed as of Monday,
according to the company.
“We’re working to resolve an operational issue. The safety of
the community and our workforce remains our primary focus,” an
ExxonMobil spokesperson said in a statement to The Center
Square.
Even before oil is refined, different geopolitical issues – such
as conflicts between the U.S. and Iran or the war between Russia
and Ukraine – have also caused prices to go up, according to
Hart.
“You know, a barrel of crude oil today is at $100 and so it's
gone up from last week by about $6. When the barrel of crude oil
is around $80 we see reasonable prices, but when it jumps this
high we see the pain at the pump,” Hart said.
As the general election approaches, fuel prices remain a top
concern for voters across the nation, and even higher prices in
the Midwest may keep that issue at the top of voters’ minds.
While AAA doesn’t provide partisan support or political
analysis, Hart did make recommendations for how voters could
prepare for getting to the polls.
“Carpool. Go with other people so that you’re not – everyone
isn’t going in their own individual car so you can save some
money on gas. You know, you might want to even consider public
transportation depending on the distance from your home to the
polling place,” Hart said.
|
|
