Average Gas Price in CA Targets $4.00

That magic average price of $4.00 per gallon of gas is within reach in California. The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge report stated that Thursday’s average price for a gallon of gas in California was $3.99. In Los Angeles, it was even higher, at $4.06 per gallon.

In the spring, prices typically rise as a result of refineries doling out a more expensive blend of gasoline, which is required to add expensive additives in order to meet pollution standards. Because the refineries need to offload their winter fuels, the nation’s gas supply is narrowed. The price hike affects Californians more quickly because the state’s pollution standards are stricter than elsewhere.

Gregg Laskoski, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, said, “The rise in gas prices this time of year comes around like clockwork… If we see prices peak in April, they could still remain fairly high through much of the summer month. And we typically don’t see a significant reduction until we have Labor Day behind us.”

The U.S. average Thursday was $3.54 a gallon; it was $3.65 last year. Even with the high prices, gas in California is roughly 6 cents per gallon cheaper than last year.

Foreign affairs could profoundly affect the price of gas; the political volatility in Russia and the Middle East could cause oil prices to surge. In summer of 2013 when the U.S. was considering intervening in Syria, the price of crude oil rose.