Gas stations in Washington state are resetting their price boards to accommodate double digits in preparation for fuel prices potentially reaching $10 a gallon, according to a report.
The move comes as several gas stations in the Evergreen State ran out of fuel, The Post Millennial reported.
The 76 Gas Station in Auburn, which lies about 30 miles south of Seattle, gas pumps were reprogrammed so that the display could indicate a price of at least $10 a gallon.
The displays were limited to single digits as recently as March, but the surging price of gas has led to the change.
A 76 spokesperson told The Post Millennial that the change did not necessarily mean that the company was predicting gas prices would reach $10 a gallon.
The gas station in Auburn also sells race fuel, which is more expensive than the fuel that is used by ordinary citizens.
Race fuel costs more due to the high octane, premium fuel that is required to enable the engine to have a higher compression ratio, giving it a more energetic explosion and improving the performance of turbocharger and supercharger engines.
Washingtonians are also having to contend with gas stations that are running out of fuel.
Motorists who drive up to gas pumps in Kennewick, Pasco, and West Richland are met with notes indicating that the station did not have any fuel to sell — except for diesel.
On Facebook, local residents are reporting more than 10 gas stations that are out of fuel.
The average price of a gallon of gas in Washington State is $5.18 — well above the national average of $4.59 as of Thursday, according to AAA.
The most expensive gas in the nation could be found in California, where motorists in and around San Francisco pay more than $6 a gallon.
Limited supply exacerbated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, coupled with what is expected to be sky-high demand as Americans take to the roads this summer for travel, will likely push gas prices even higher, analysts warn.
US crude was trading at $112.31 per barrel while Brent crude, the international standard, was trading at $112.89 per barrel, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
The only three states who were below $4 a gallon as of Monday — Georgia, Kansas, and Oklahoma — crossed the threshold on Tuesday, AAA reported.
The oil and gas industry has criticized the Biden administration for its policies which they say have kept supply limited.
Last week, the Biden administration announced that it was canceling three oil and gas lease sales scheduled in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Alaska — removing millions of acres from possibly drilling.
The Interior Department announced the decision last Wednesday night, citing a lack of industry interest in drilling off the Alaska coast and “conflicting court rulings” that have complicated drilling efforts in the Gulf of Mexico, where the bulk of US offshore drilling takes place.
The decision likely means the Biden administration will not hold a lease sale for offshore drilling this year and comes as Interior appears set to let a mandatory five-year plan for offshore drilling expire next month.
“Unfortunately, this is becoming a pattern — the administration talks about the need for more supply and acts to restrict it,″ said Frank Macchiarola, senior vice president of the American Petroleum Institute, the top lobbying group for the oil and gas industry.
“As geopolitical volatility and global energy prices continue to rise, we again urge the administration to end the uncertainty and immediately act on a new five-year program for federal offshore leasing,″ he said.
With Post wires
[Written in collaboration with other media outlets with information from the following sources]
