Study: Clallam had WA's fourth highest 2007 gas prices
May 2nd, 2008 - 6:18am
(Port Angeles) -- A new gas price study commissioned by the state attorney general finds Clallam County had the fourth-highest gas prices in the state in 2007.
San Juan, Okanogan and Pacific were the only counties with higher prices than Clallam.
The study tracked location-specific prices through the state, including an in-depth analysis of factors influencing both wholesale and retail prices.
Transportation costs heavily affected gas prices on the peninsula. The study reported wholesale prices fluctuated little on the local level, but the cost to deliver that gas begins to skyrocket when it is trucked and ferried from the east side of Puget Sound.
Port Angeles had high retail prices compared to the wholesale cost of fuel, or gross retail differential.
The reports says in 2007, Bellingham and Port Angeles were most significantly higher than average with gross retail differentials between 36 and 38 cents a gallon.
Attorney General Rob McKenna tasked the report to University of Washington economist Dr. Keith Leffler.
It addresses concerns regarding alleged illegal price manipulation and Washington's per-gallon price compared to other states, which as of February was sixth-highest in the nation.
The study identified the cost of obtaining and transporting fuel and local retail competition as the causes for price variations from county to county.
Other factors are increased worldwide demand and the inability of regional refineries to meet West Coast demands as the causes for high wholesale prices.
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