'It's killing us.' Redding drivers struggle with stubbornly-high gasoline costs

Damon Arthur, Redding Record Searchlight
Updated ·5 min read
4

Gary St. Pierre was already facing an uphill slog even before he pulled into a service station at Churn Creek Road and Mistletoe Lane in Redding on Wednesday.

St. Pierre's house had recently burned down and he was trying to get to Sacramento. But fueling up involved putting gas in his aging Ford Explorer that was missing a rear window.

He poured the fuel from a 5-gallon container into his vehicle, using a plastic bottle he placed in the filler neck of his gas tank. He had sliced off the bottom of the bottle, but gas kept spilling out of the improvised funnel onto the ground.

St. Pierre could only watch as the fuel, which in Redding averages more than $5 a gallon, evaporated as it splashed onto the concrete.

Gary St. Pierre puts gas in his car Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, at the AM/PM gas station at Churn Creek Road and Mistletoe Lane in Redding, California, where the price of gasoline averages more than $5 a gallon.
Gary St. Pierre puts gas in his car Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, at the AM/PM gas station at Churn Creek Road and Mistletoe Lane in Redding, California, where the price of gasoline averages more than $5 a gallon.

The price of the gasoline St. Pierre purchased Wednesday made a difficult time even that much harder, he said.

"It's killing us," he said. "It's like $6 bucks a gallon and I'm on Social Security. You don't get enough from Social Security to pay for it."

Despite fewer drivers at the pump, the national average for a gallon of gas remains higher than normal for the fall season. The unusually high price for fuel is due in part to the cost of oil, according to AAA.

As of the last week in September, the national average of $3.83 is two cents more than a month ago and seven cents more than a year ago.

The California average is nearly double that.

“Oil is stubbornly staying above $90 per barrel for now, and it’s the main ingredient in gasoline,” AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said. “Gas prices will likely keep falling, but it’s going to be slow and unsteady, so expect some days where it might edge higher a bit.”

The market is also concerned that tight supply may not be enough to meet demand for the remainder of 2023. As a result, the price of oil could climb higher and keep prices at the pump elevated into winter.

In California, the average price for a gallon of gas — sits at 57% higher than the national average of $3.78, according to AAA.

In Shasta County, motorists pulling up the pump are seeing gas prices that average $5.70 a gallon this week, only a smidge below the state average of $5.97 per gallon, according to data from AAA.

Clarrissa Clemens puts gas in her car Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, at the AM/PM gas station at Churn Creek Road and Mistletoe Lane in Redding, California, where the price of gasoline averages more than $5 a gallon.
Clarrissa Clemens puts gas in her car Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023, at the AM/PM gas station at Churn Creek Road and Mistletoe Lane in Redding, California, where the price of gasoline averages more than $5 a gallon.

Clarrissa Clemons of Redding recently gassed up in Redding, where she said the price of fuel was making it more difficult to make ends meet. The cash price for regular gas at the AMPM where Clemons bought fuel was $5.39 a gallon. It was a dime more a gallon to buy regular gas using a credit card.

"I'm low income so it affects me big time," Clemens said. "A school bus doesn't stop at my house so I have to buy gas to get my kids to and from school."

Redding's Clear Creek Market listed the lowest cash price for their gas, $4.95, according to data from crowdsourced consumer website GasBuddy on Oct. 4.

Other Redding stations on the lowest per gallon gas price list on Wednesday included Costco on Bechelli Lane at $4.99; United Gas on Market Street at $5; Comets on E. Cypress Ave. and Fast Track on Churn Creek Road, both at $5.09; and Circle K on Hartnell Avenue at $5.15.

While gas prices are quickly approaching last year’s record highs, relief may soon be on the way.

In late September, Gov. Gavin Newsom penned a letter to the state's energy commission and air resources board to request an early transition to winter-blend gasoline, which could increase fuel supply.

"If prices do remain at these levels, it may cause unacceptable cost impacts for consumers and small businesses, significant economic disruption, and serious harm to public safety and welfare," Newsom wrote in the Sept. 27 letter.

California refiners are required to produce a summer-blend gasoline through October in most areas of the state. After Oct. 31, a winter-blend gasoline is allowed. Refiners can produce more of the winter-blend than the summer-blend, and have already started producing and storing winter-blend gasoline, Newsom said.

"In light of the price spikes, we should not wait until the end of the month to start distributing or to ramp up production of our winter-blend gasoline," stated Newsom. "Allowing refiners to make an early transition to winter-blend gasoline could quickly increase fuel supply and provide critical liquidity on the spot market, and act as a much-needed safety valve."

California refiners are required to produce a summer-blend gasoline through October in most areas of the state. After Oct. 31, a winter-blend gasoline is allowed. Refiners can produce more of the winter-blend than the summer-blend, and have already started producing and storing winter-blend gasoline, Newsom said.

"In light of the price spikes, we should not wait until the end of the month to start distributing or to ramp up production of our winter-blend gasoline," he stated. "Allowing refiners to make an early transition to winter-blend gasoline could quickly increase fuel supply and provide critical liquidity on the spot market, and act as a much-needed safety valve."

The nation’s top 5 most expensive markets for gasoline (Source: AAA)

  • California ($5.97)

  • Washington ($5.12)

  • Nevada ($5.07)

  • Hawaii ($4.88)

  • Alaska ($4.63) Sheyanne N. Romero of the Visalia Times-Delta contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: 'It's killing us.' Redding drivers struggle with high gas costs