Ohio gas prices jump nearly 20 cents overnight

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(The Center Square) – As high as gasoline and diesel prices are across the nation, they are even higher in Ohio, according to the American Automobile Association.

It reported the national average as $4.43 on Thursday, but Ohio motorists are paying more – an average of $4.51 a gallon, a jump of nearly 20 cents overnight.

Average diesel prices topped $6 a gallon nationally, according to Triple A, while Ohio set a record high Thursday.

“Volatility in the Strait of Hormuz has pushed crude oil back in the $100 per barrel range for the first time since July,” AAA said. “Pump prices are currently comparable to early June.”

Just a year ago, average gas prices in Ohio were only $3.03. The news is worse for diesel fuel, which hit its highest recorded prices on Thursday at $6.47 a gallon.

“The national average is increasing during a season when gas prices typically go down due to lower gasoline demand,” AAA said in a news release.

The nation’s top 10 most expensive gasoline markets are California ($5.89), Washington ($5.53), Hawaii ($5.40), Oregon ($5.06), Alaska ($5.05), Nevada ($5.01), Idaho ($4.76), Utah ($4.68), Arizona ($4.57), and Illinois ($4.48), according to AAA.. 

The rising fuel prices are impacting governments across the nation as well, Bevan Schneck, spokesman for the Ohio Municipal League, told The Center Square.

And it’s not just diesel fuel that is going up. It seems to be almost everything.

“Like diesel, the cost of nearly everything municipalities purchase continues to rise, creating additional budget pressures on Ohio's cities and villages,” Schneck said. “In this case, it’s particularly true for essential services such as trash collection, street maintenance, and public works – the areas of municipal government that rely upon trucks or other equipment.”

 The impact varies by community, Schneck added.

“Municipalities operating their own fleets face higher fuel costs directly, while those contracting for services such as trash collection may have additional costs passed along to them through fuel surcharges that are worked into their contracts,” he said. “Officials at the local level simply have to manage the increased expenses in order to provide the services for their residents. Similar to inflation, it’s a cost municipalities have to deal with even though their revenue might not be increasing.”