Refinery goes up in flames, taking gas prices with it
EUGENE, Ore. - Gas prices in Oregon had just settled down when a fire ripped through a refinery in California.
Now experts predict gas prices on the West Coast will rise again.
"You know, every time the prices go up, there's a refinery in flames somewhere or a busted piepline," said Dwight Williams, who manages the Chevron station on Willamette Street. "It's always something."
And it's often gas station attendants who bear the brunt driver's frustrations.
Williams said people take rising gas prises out on him all the time.
"They have a few choice names to call me," he said.
Williams said no one likes it, but he knows prices will go up in the next few weeks.
In addition to the refinery closure, another California facility was forced to close due to maintenance issues back in July. It's uncertain when either of these refineries will be back in operation.
And until then, GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick de Hann said Oregon may continue to see prices go up.
"It's difficult to put an exact amount on it," he said, "but we expect over the next week, prices could increase anywhere from 5 to 20 cents per gallon."
So if your pulse pounds when you pay for fuel, keep this in mind: it's not the gas station attendent but a refinery fire in California that's responsible for your pain at the pump.
Gas prices have risen lately due to "speculation" /anything to get the price up.. They speculate what the going rate of oil will be in the middle east,,then..raise the prices here.. the price of oil has remained the same..but yet..gas prices keep raising.Gas prices in Eastern Oregon stay the same,and climb sky here on the west coast.Once and for all... There is more than one refinery on the west coast making gasoline.One refinery going down should not contribute to skyrocketing gasoline prices.It is simple price gouging..When will you people wake up?East of us.. the price of gas will continue to stay down..just like it did all through the last time it crept over $4 a gallon..The news did come out later that raising the price of gas was done deliberately.Like one person said earlier in a comment section.If the refinery only contributes 16% of the gas..the other refineries should be able to take up the slack and compensate for that 16% decrease...and as another person said.. isn't this convenient that this should seemingly happen right before the Labor Day holiday?
Imagine that. Surprise surprise.
Oil is the foundation of our economy like it or not. We haven't built a new refinery in 30+ years and when something happens like this, it causes prices to sky-rocket. Only people supporting the current miserable economy are employed by or retired from a government job. Everyone else is screaming jobs jobs and high fuel prices fallen on deaf ears. When a retired state employee gets $41,000 a month retirement income and the media or fellow PERS employees are silent, you know the working person is screwed.
Vote November a different direction and vote NO on any upcoming budgets.
@Chatel Sierra You can bet on it, voting and it won't be for any career politician or job killer.
this is just bs
The fire was this morning and the prices have gone up by 3-5 cents by this afternoon...can you say rip-off? We all know that the gas under the gas stations in Eugene was delivered before the fire, after all.
What is going on with the comments, they are disappearing?
Gas prices here in Port Orford are always the highest, just went up to $4.07. 26 miles north in Bandon, it is $.50 cheaper at $3.57. No, we don't feel like we're being gouged, not at all!
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Steve
I don't know where the person that wrote this article has been, but gas prices had not settled down, they have been gradually increasing for the last month and a half. There is something rotten in barrel about this whole bit about the refinery fire. Three week until Labor day the last big fling before school and all of a sudden the gas prices have to go up. You can't even shame these guys, they are so hard nothing any normal person says even phases them. The other thing is they own the career politicians, Republicans and Democrats alike.
I guess we are just simple idiots in their eyes...Is it only in Oregon that the prices will rise? Sure glad I don't drive!!!