ROCKINGHAM — Gas prices are still increasing in Richmond County and across the state, despite news out of Texas that many oil companies are showing signs of life following the damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.
Current averages in Fayetteville, the nearest city listed on AAA’s website, are approximately $2.545 per gallon for regular gas, up $0.373 from a week ago. This is slightly lower than the state average of $2.616.
Gas prices were at $2.59 nationwide Saturday, up three percent from Friday and up 16.7 percent from a year ago, according to AAA.
“AAA does not expect refineries to be offline for months, as early reports indicate minimal to no significant damage to Corpus Christi and Houston refineries,” Tiffany Wright, spokesperson for AAA Carolinas, said in a statement issued on Thursday.
Rockingham resident Derrick Wiley said Monday that the price increases haven’t hurt his pocket in any significant way.
“I can’t tell the difference,” Wiley said. “Now if it went up to $3, I might start to feel it.”
Wiley said looking forward at the developments on the natural disaster front, Hurricane Irma is a much bigger concern for him and his family personally.
To help the state ride out the storm, Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order going into Labor Day weekend declaring a state of emergency, which allowed him to temporarily suspended limits on hours truckers hauling gasoline could drive.
Gov. Cooper also brought into effect a state law preventing price gouging.
Reach Gavin Stone at 910-817-2674.