It didn’t take long for the break First State motorists got at the gas pump a week ago to disappear.
AAA Mid-Atlantic reports the cost of a gallon of regular jumped six cents over the past seven days – from $2.09 to $2.15 – wiping out the four cent drop the week before.
And that price is just nine cents lower than the $2.24 Delaware drivers were paying a year ago.
The number of stations charging less than two dollars a gallon is also shrinking according to Delawaregasprices.com Just over a half dozen stations around the state selling a gallon of regular at a $1.99 or less.
AAA officials attributes the bump up in prices to the recent Colonial Pipeline leak. The pipeline, which runs from Houston to New York, carries gasoline to the eastern United States and has been closed since September 9.
“The national average price for unleaded gasoline is expected to move lower heading into fall, however the supply disruption caused by the Colonial Pipeline closure will likely result in temporary gas price increases along some parts of the east coast,” said AAA Mid-Atlantic Public and Government Affairs manager Jana Tidwell in a statement. “Pump prices typically decline this time of year due to lower driving demand and the changeover from summer-blend to a cheaper-to-produce winter-blend gasoline, which takes place in many parts of the country in the last week.”
The national average also rose two cents last week – from $2.18 to $2.20.
