The pain at the pump is a little less severe than one year ago, but the price of gas is 20 cents a gallon higher than last month.
Marion Brown is glad to see gas prices dip 24 cents from a year ago.
"I think it's great for the average consumer," said Brown. "If the gas prices stayed higher it would force more conservation. If we have to sacrifice at $4 again to force that change, I'd be open to that."
According to AAA, the price at the pump in Metro Richmond has increased about 20 cents per gallon over the past month.
Those cents add up for Mike Runion who travels 500 miles a week for his painting business.
At more than $100 a tank, every penny counts. He was glad to see prices close to $3 a gallon earlier this summer.
"I thought they were going to come down to $3 which would have been great, and I would have loved to see it. I can't understand why it has not," he said.
Right around the first quarter, the price of crude oil was right around $100 a barrel. The price of gas was also higher- around $3.70 a gallon. As we neared the second quarter towards the end of June, crude oil and prices started to fall. As the price of crude oil started to go up towards the end of July, so did the price of gasoline -about 20 cents higher than a month ago.
NBC12 asked Virginia Petroleum Convenience and Grocery Association President Mike O'Connor if we could see prices go back down anytime soon.
"It's hard to say," said O'Connor. "Today was pretty much the same as Friday but it's a day to day thing, constantly changing just like the stock market and other things."
O'Connor says the economy and the price of commodities also play a factor. He says there's really no way to see what prices be once more people hit the road for Labor Day weekend nearly a month away.
While prices remain uncertain, Brown's family will continue to conserve by driving fuel efficient cars and riding bikes as much as possible.
Right now the average price of gas in Richmond is about $3.34 a gallon. That's still 16 cents lower than the national average according to www.RichmondGasPrices.com.
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-57482017/oil-prices-continue-rise-on-europe-action-hopes/
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