Many Idahoans Enjoy Lower Pump Prices

Idaho motorists in some locations are finding the lowest gasoline prices in nearly two years, the Idaho AAA affiliate said.

Based on spot checks of 40 stations along major travel routes in the state, the Idaho AAA said pump prices have dropped dramatically in the past month, but not at all locations.

The spot check in Boise, Lewiston, Twin Falls, Idaho Falls and Post Falls placed the average price for a gallon of self-serve unleaded gas at $1.246, down 6.5 cents from a month earlier and the lowest average since March 1996, when motorists were paying $1.17 a gallon.

“The market is simply responding to supply and demand,” Idaho AAA spokesman Dave Carlson said on Thursday. “Nationally, crude oil prices were in the $16 range this week, gasoline inventories are up and demand for gasoline eases as motorists drive significantly less in the winter months.”

Still, Idaho’s average price remains about 9 cents higher than the nation’s. AAA said the national average price of $1.159 was a 5.7-cent drop since Dec. 9.

Not all Idaho communities have benefited from falling pump prices. While a gas war in Burley, which was not included in the latest survey, has prompted some retailers to reduce prices to about $1 per gallon, Carlson said prices just 40 miles west in Twin Falls were virtually unchanged from a month earlier at $1.305.

Elsewhere prices also varied widely, from an average of $1.16 at stations checked in Idaho Falls to $1.267 in Boise.