Gas Prices Heading Back Up

The gas price rollercoaster ride continued this week here in Mill Valley and beyond, as the gradual dip in gas prices revsersed itself and prices went back up again.

"If you're a smaller station you don't fill up every day. Prices rise but you don't see it until you fill up, then you have to raise your prices. That makes it seem like an overnight rise in cost for drivers," said Avery Ash, manager of regulatory affairs at AAA.

The price of gas in Marin County seems to be starting to spike after a two-month decline due to increasing demand and a limited ready supply. Ash cited the faltering Greek economy, unrest in Libya and limited production from refineries among the causes for the rise in cost of crude oil and gas prices.

The average gallon of gas in California is $3.806 Tuesday, representing a nearly 3-cent rise in cost in just a week. Gas still costs 14.4 cents less than it did a month ago, according to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report. However, it's still 67.3 cents more expensive than it was a year ago.

"During all this, it's important to keep in mind the decrease in cost we saw before this. For 52 of 56 days ending in June, we saw prices decrease," Ash said. "In July to this point, we've seen prices go back up 10 of 11 days." 

Gas stations in Mill Valley are still busy, despite prices hovering around $3.90 per gallon for regular. Arco on Redwood Hwy. remains the lowest in the area at $3.64, while the rest are between $3.90 and $4.10 per gallon for regular.

Gas prices in the area can be found at AAA's TripTik Travel Planner.

How high will prices go? Who knows?

"Prediciting crude prices is a losing proposition as we've seen," Ash said. "Under the current trend during the next month, I'd expect prices to stay in this range."