Rochester, N.Y. – You’re probably wondering what happened to that $3 a gallon gas experts predicted we’d have right about now?“I'd like to say something but I won't, I think it's outrageous. Let's leave it at that,” motorist Carmen Sica said.
“I think it's terrible it should be a lot cheaper,” motorist Sarah Orsini said.
Just when we started to feel some relief at the pump, the pain is back -seemingly out of nowhere.
“I can't believe in the last week it's gone up a dime. It's unbelievable,” motorist Bonnie Denninger said.
So why have gas prices shot up?
Dean of The Simon School of Business at The University of Rochester Mark Zupan says the economy has picked up.
“Demand is a little bit stronger than expected,” Zupan said.
Zupan says we're seeing an immediate increase now, in part because of the refinery fires in California.
“You have short run disruption like in Richmond, California with the one refinery that accounts for 16 percent of the daily supply in that region of the country,” Zupan said “Even seemingly small things like that can affect us in upstate New York.”
Experts do predict that gas will go down eventually; the big question is when?
Until prices drop, motorists do what they can to save.
“We've got to watch the groceries and shopping at Aldi's or Price Rite,” Denninger said.
“We also have the Kwik Fill credit card which gives you five cents off so we always shop here,” Sica said.
Zupan says the drought is affecting gas prices too.
When the price of corn goes up, energy prices go up too.
