Refinery maintenance impacting gas prices in certain regions.
The national average price of gasoline stayed steady at $2.21 per gallon heading into November, according to a report by AAA.
While prices have dipped slightly over the past six days, the normal seasonal drop has stalled with prices remaining steady since September.
As traders speculate on whether OPEC countries will create an output agreement over the next month, AAA noted prices could fluctuate up and down. Late last week, OPEC officials met in Vienna regarding a potential production freeze agreement, but negotiations have reportedly stalled, with the next meeting set for the end of November. Planned and unplanned refinery maintenance could also result in regional fluctuations in gas prices.
Prices in the Northwest will likely begin to move higher due to the shutdown of BP’s Olympic Pipeline for maintenance last week. In the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast refinery issues continue to drive up prices in some states. The South and Southeast should see gas prices dip following fall refinery maintenance and price spikes caused by problems on the Colonial Pipeline in September and Hurricane Matthew.
Missouri ($1.99) and Oklahoma ($1.99) currently feature the least expensive gas in the nation, while Hawaii ($2.91) and California ($2.79) have the most expensive gas.