Gas prices in the West Coast states are soaring due to refinery issues in Puget Sound and California, and reports of an outage at the Olympic Pipeline. Planned and unplanned maintenance at refineries has caused wholesale prices to shoot up and those increase are being passed on to consumers at the pumps. In addition, there are reports that the Olympic Pipeline, which carries fuel from Washington refineries to Portland, is down. Some relief should come soon due to the upcoming switch to winter-blend fuel starting September 15 in Oregon. For the week, the national average for regular adds one cent to $3.19 a gallon. The Oregon average jumps 16 cents to $4.14 a gallon. This is the biggest week-over-week jump for a state in the nation and the highest price for the Oregon average since June 2024.
“Gasoline supplies on the West Coast are very tight, due to refinery maintenance, and as the last of the summer-blend gas is produced. Oregon can start selling winter-blend gas on September 15. This fuel costs less to produce and should help bring some relief at the pumps,” says Marie Dodds, public affairs director for AAA Oregon/Idaho. “Meanwhile, drivers in the Midwest are already seeing lower pump prices, now that the BP refinery in Whiting, Indiana is back online. This refinery, which is he largest in the Midwest and the largest inland refinery in the U.S. had to stop operations last month after storms brought rain and flooding to the area.”
Hurricane season remains the wildcard. There’s still the potential of a major storm that could impact production and distribution of oil and gas if a storm takes aim at the Gulf Coast.
The Oregon average for regular gas began 2025 at $3.45 a gallon and is currently at $4.14. This is the highest price of the year so far. The lowest price of the year so far is just under $3.45 a gallon on January 2.
The national average began 2025 at $3.06 a gallon and is currently at $3.19. The highest price of the year so far is $3.268 on April 4. The lowest price of the year so far is $3.06 on January 5.
