Gas prices have consistently gone up in years past during summer holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July, but this year is a little different.
The price of gas in Utah has dropped about 12 cents since last month, and in Provo, drivers can expect $3.60 to the gallon.
Steve Wiseman, a gas station owner in Kamas, is all too familiar with dealing with gas prices.
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Last summer, the price of gas was $2.70 a gallon, but is up a dollar this year, coming in at $3.70. With the prices soaring so early in the summer, it may have scared tourists away from planning big trips.
Matt Skryja, the spokesperson for AAA Utah, said motorists are starting to see a difference in prices at pumps.
“Consumers continue to experience welcome relief at the pump as gasoline markets in the U.S. are returning to relatively lower prices,” he said. “Gasoline demand is down over the last week, after it steadily rose for the four weeks prior.”
According to the Department of Energy, the U.S. consumes nearly 178 million gallons of gas a day. A third of crude oil the U.S. consumes, which is around six million barrels a day, is received from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Countries making up the OPEC are Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Venezuela.
Some students are still struggling to pay for gas even with the recent decline in prices.
“Gas prices are still too high for me,” said Thomas Wadsworth, a junior, from Salt Lake City.
Drivers can make the most of their gas by driving smoothly, avoiding abrupt stops, not putting the pedal to the floor and keeping the cars’ tires at a well-balanced pressure.
