Gas prices inching up

Western Slope drivers are paying a little more at the pump in recent days.  This comes after several months of falling prices. 

Typically, gas prices are higher during the summer months than any other time of the year.  That's because more of us are out on the roads enjoying summer vacations. 

But this year has been atypical.  Prices actually peaked in April and then steadily declined until the beginning of July, when the national price began to climb. 

Here in Colorado, prices kept dropping until the beginning of August but are now starting to make that same climb.  A broken pipeline and other problems in the Midwest and a refinery fire in California have contributed to increasing prices across the country.  Those impacts can sometimes take a while to be felt everywhere.

"Colorado and Wyoming are somewhat insulated from these types of problems and that's due, I think largely to the fact that you have access to cheaper Canadian crude oil and you also have a few more options from different refineries," said Gregg Laskoski,
Senior Petroleum Analyst for GasBuddy.com.

Colorado's prices have lagged behind that of the nation, so experts say we can expect prices to go up in the short term. 

Right now, the Colorado average is $3.48 per gallon; nationally, it's $3.68. 

But there is some good news: Laskoski says prices should level off by Labor Day and even start to drop again by October when where are less drivers on the road and refineries make their cheaper winter blend.