Average price at the pump up 3 cents to $2.21 in Kansas

AAA

TOPEKA – As Hurricane Harvey blasted Texas, gas prices shot up across the country, according to AAA. At $2.37, today’s national gas price average is four cents more expensive on the week and one of the largest one-week national gas price surges seen this summer.

About one quarter of oil refining capacity in the Gulf Coast had been taken offline, according to Oil Price Information Service. That equates to about 2.5 million barrels/day. Harvey also caused eight refineries in Texas to shut down, while several others are operating at reduced rates.

“No doubt, Harvey has impacted operations and access to refineries in the Gulf Coast. However, a clear understanding of overall damage at the refineries is unknown,” said Shawn Steward, AAA Kansas spokesperson. “Despite the country’s overall oil and gasoline inventories being at or above 5-year highs, until there is clear picture of damage and an idea when refineries can return to full operational status, gas prices will continue to increase.”

On Sunday, Magellan Midstream Partners suspended all inbound and outbound refined products and crude oil transportation services on its pipeline systems in the Houston area. Conversely, the Colonial Pipeline said its Gulf Coast pipeline and terminals are continuing to operate normally.

Harvey is expected to continue to impact the region through the middle of the week with an additional 15 to 25 inches of rain expected over the middle and upper Texas coast through Friday.

To help alleviate the tight and potential shortage of supply, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced over the weekend that it will waive environmental standards on gasoline for select counties in Texas.

“As in any national or local state of emergency, AAA expects gas prices to be held in check up and down the gasoline supply chain, including prices set by refiners, distributors and dealers unless there is a clearly justifiable reason for an increase,” added AAA Kansas’ Steward.

Kansas Gas Report
The average price of gas in Kansas today is $2.21 per gallon, up three cents from a week ago. At 16 cents less than the national average, Kansas gas prices are 12th lowest in the country, said AAA Kansas’ Steward.

This week’s Kansas cities with the state’s gas price extremes are:
HIGH: Howard (Elk County) – $2.40
LOW: Galena (Cherokee County) – $2.03

Despite the increase in average gas price across the state, not all locations saw a rise, AAA Kansas notes. Of the 10 regularly tracked Kansas cities (see chart below), Emporia and Topeka experienced small price declines and Hays remained the same, while seven cities saw increases. The largest weekly gas price increases were in Kansas City, Kan., Lawrence and Salina (7 cents), and Wichita (5 cents).