Gas prices on the rise, again

While the average price of gasoline in Jacksonville was $1.47 cheaper Wednesday than it was the same time a year ago, residents are concerned the recent uptick in the price of fuel is just the beginning.

Gas prices for regular unleaded in Jacksonville jumped from an average of $1.96 last week to an average of $2.06 Wednesday, according to AAA Carolinas.

Teddy Grady of Jacksonville isn't surprised to see the price of gasoline increasing once again.

"It's planned," he said. "Every summer they do that, they jack it up sky high. It's nothing new around here."

Elliot Jarman of Richlands said the increase in the price of gas directly affects what his customers at Jarman's Pest Control have to pay for services, and while he doesn't like to see prices increase, he can't do much about it.

"It's starting to bother me a little, but it's the government and stuff like that," he said.

Part of the reason behind the increase is the more than $2 rise in the price of crude oil from $53.86 a barrel Tuesday to $56.19 a barrel Wednesday, said Bill Weatherspoon, executive director of the North Carolina Petroleum Council.

"Generally speaking right now, any upward pricing on gasoline is going to come from crude oil," he said.

But Weatherspoon said that's only part of the reason for the price increase. Warming temperatures cause an increased demand for gas, as people are driving more and manufacturers are working on the summer blend of gasoline, which requires more refining and costs more to create.

"We're beginning to get into the traditional driving season when people do come down your way on the weekends to get to the coast," he said. "And summertime fuel is certainly being refined and distributed out to the systems."

A change in the supply-and-demand ratio may also affect prices.

"The biggest problem last year was increased demand along with little supply. After the scare, we have built up supply and demand has gone down ... Supplies have built up and refineries are nervous to raise prices because they don't want to completely crush the demand for summer," said Brendan Byrnes, spokesman for AAA Carolinas.

Byrnes said that's good news for consumers.

"Naturally we've got more supply than what we've had in almost 19 years, as well as a much more depressed economy, so we don't foresee a jump like we saw last year," he said.

While rising gas prices may seem like a warning sign to consumers, Weatherspoon said it could signify something positive.

"It's a good thing to see a little vibrancy coming back into the economy, which is beginning to push up," he said. "That's one of the early indicators that maybe we've seen, if not the bottom on the stock market, we may have seen the bottom on the economy."

Contact Jacksonville/Onslow government reporter Molly DeWitt at 910-219-8455 or mdewitt@freedomenc.com.