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"The price of fuel is the price of independence, if you will,” Jones said. “You can get in your car and drive wherever you want and get you there. There aren’t good alternatives to that in the rural West. That’s how you get around. That’s why people are so passionate about the pricing"
Without any significant oil and gas potential Idaho is landlocked and reliant on other States and a very limited network of pipelines to provide gasoline (and natural gas for heat). If one of those pipelines is disabled due to age/corrosion/explosion or other problems that would really impact not just the price of gasoline but it's availability. Even if you employed every truck driver in Boise to ferry gasoline from SLC or Pasco you could still not keep up with demand. Trucking is very inefficient and expensive because you can only truck small amounts in each truck. Plus it's much more dangerous to have tanker trucks on Idaho highways and streets than it is to send the gasoline and refined products underground from one terminal to another. Pipeline ruptures and explosions do happen but they are limited in damage compared to the alternative means of surface transportation/trucking which would require a steady stream of tanker trucks every day 24/7/365.
People often oppose new oil and gas pipelines because they don't understand that not using pipelines (trucking) is much more expensive and dangerous. Even if you are driving a Tesla this still impacts your life, unless you never leave home. Idaho needs more pipelines and options but we are mainly a "fly over" state with a limited market and population. So we have to pay a bit more for gasoline, it's so worth it to live here!
What is somewhat unusual is that gas prices in Eastern Washington, Northeastern Oregon, and apparently Boise, are all pretty similar. This has not always been the case. Not sure why, because gas taxes vary widely between Idaho and Oregon and Washington. Perhaps it has more to do with where the gas is coming from, in this region, mostly Utah. And perhaps some areas have more price-point competition, such as Spokane and Tri-Cities.
FWIW.... My wife and I were just in western WY, eastern ID, and NE UT last week, and the prices were all in the $2.85 to $3.10 range, for regular fuel, everywhere. The cheapest prices in Idaho Falls were around $2.80 for the same. So I really didn't see the info in the original post about there being a 40 cent difference to Boise (though we did not get to Boise to make a direct observation).
FWIW.... My wife and I were just in western WY, eastern ID, and NE UT last week, and the prices were all in the $2.85 to $3.10 range, for regular fuel, everywhere. The cheapest prices in Idaho Falls were around $2.80 for the same. So I really didn't see the info in the original post about there being a 40 cent difference to Boise (though we did not get to Boise to make a direct observation).
They may have finally come up in Eastern ID. When I posted that GasBuddy was reporting prices in the upper 2.50's at the lowest. There were a lot of stations at or near those prices. I didn't mean to over analyze it. I was mostly just curious.
Gas prices are usually dependent on two main factors, #1, the price of oil, and #2, the state taxes. In the past this has created great differences between States, but I am noticing this is narrowing in the general Western areas, with the exception of California, where prices are almost always atleast 50 cents higher than other Western States. Another wildcard is where the oil is being shipped from. While US oil production now makes up most of our demand, there are areas that make it less expensive. The inland west tend to get their supply from Utah and Wyoming, while the coastal west get their supply from Pacific ports. This can make a big difference.
Does Idaho have a winter blend of gasoline that th ey must change over to which raises cost of the gas?
It's actually the opposite. The summer blend for hot climates raises prices. So the past few weeks is when we actually should have been seeing prices trending down.
It's actually the opposite. The summer blend for hot climates raises prices. So the past few weeks is when we actually should have been seeing prices trending down.
Collusion? Perhaps there is an attempt to equal prices within States, despite state taxes? That is what I am seeing atleast in E. Washington, E. Oregon, N. Idaho, and SW Idaho.
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