Gas prices have been the talk among many Americans for the past year. People from all over the country have watched as the prices rise and fall — and Eugene is no exception.
Currently, the city’s gas prices are the highest in the state. The average gas price in Eugene is $4.20 for the basic, unleaded gasoline; the state average gas price is $4.17.
Senior Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan of gasbuddy.com@@checked@@ said the rise of gas prices in Oregon is due to gas-making refineries closing.
“Lower supplies mean higher prices at the pump,” DeHaan said. “Unfortunately, with the peak summer driving season, any drop in production is noticeable.”@@this doesn’t make any sense@@
He said that much of the West Coast is at the mercy of the refineries and just how soon they can return to full production.@@what? return to full production? is this a purpose-minded restriction on supply?@@
Much of the gas prices are dictated by the taxes at the federal, state and local levels. The American Petroleum Institute reported the federal tax on gasoline is currently 18.4 percent and 24.4 percent for diesel. At the state level, Oregon has a fuel tax of 49.4 percent for gasoline and 54.7 percent for diesel. The City of Eugene has a gas tax of .08 cents a gallon. @@and these taxes are used for…?@@
The high gas prices have affected people around Eugene.
Lisa Bateman said the high prices make it really hard on everyday life.@@http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lisa-lisa-bateman/28/a28/201@@
“It takes up most of my paycheck,” she said.
She thought it was only gas and wouldn’t be all that bad — but quickly realized that wasn’t so.
“I thought if I filled up every couple weeks or so, it wouldn’t be all that bad, but I was so wrong. It’s definitely hard,” she said.
University junior Lucas Charley uses public transportation to get around.@@https://www.facebook.com/lucas.charley@@
“(The price of gas is) the main reason I don’t drive,” Charley said.
He finds that for the most part, public transportation works just fine as an alternative to driving but does have some drawbacks.
“It takes more planning,” he said.
Sometimes the bus isn’t one hundred percent reliable and a little spendy, he said.
Public transportation is free for students who use their UO IDs. However, sometimes Charley misplaces his student ID, and the cost for an adult to use public transportation is $1.75 for one use, $3.50 for a day
“I do wish that public transit were cheaper or more reliable,” Charley said. “Preferably both.”