For those who have been driving recently, whether it be to work or just driving around town, gas prices have become a huge inconvenience. We might as well be getting robbed each time we fill our tanks!

Just in Pennsylvania alone the gas has become an average of $4.39 for each regular gallon of gasoline. These gas prices vary state to state based on the amount of taxation done within each state.  

As the gas prices rise, it begs the question of “Why are they so high?”

As of right now, the most obvious answer to this question would be the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine. Most people see this and think that we obtained most of our oil from Russia and had since stopped purchasing it. This, however, would not be true.

As a country, America never truly relied on Russian oil, despite that, other countries that DID depend on Russian Oil are now bidding against us for whatever is left. 

U.S. gas prices, which plunged to an average of $1.94 per gallon in April of 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns. Post-lockdown, the USA experienced a huge spike in the economy that was a partial cause to the raised oil prices. 

It isn’t simply gas/oil though, rent and even groceries have risen in price. Rent was about 4% higher in January than a year earlier, while groceries were nearly 7.5 percent higher. Electricity costs have increased by more than 10% since this time last year.

Just last year, 2021, the United States imported about 8.47 million barrels per day of petroleum from 73 separate countries. While this may seem big, the same year the United States had also exported about 8.63 million of petroleum to 176 countries and 4 U.S. territories. Therefore, we are exporting more oil than we are actually importing.

The nearest gas station to BASH would be Giant’s gas station at 173 Holly Road in Gilbertsville. This gas station is currently charging about $4.19 per gallon, regular, which has become the current average for fuel and it hasn’t stopped climbing.