Colonial Pipeline Restarts, But Some Southeast Volatility Remains

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The national average gas price remained relatively flat in the last week, with pump prices pressured higher in certain regions due to disruptions on the Colonial Pipeline, according to AAA. As of Nov. 7, the average price for a gallon regular gasoline is $2.22, which is one cent more than a week ago, four cents less than a month ago and the same price one year ago.

Although drivers in 30 states are paying less for gas week over week, the pipeline disruption caused some volatility in the Southeast, where gas prices saw upward momentum. The pipeline's Line 1 operations were restored on Sunday, Nov. 6 after a week of downtime following an explosion and fuel delivery has resumed, but AAA predicted that it may take a week before affected states see price relief at the pumps.

Currently, average gas prices are below $2 per gallon in Missouri ($1.93), Oklahoma ($1.94), Arkansas ($1.98) and Kansas ($1.99). The 10 most expensive markets are Hawaii ($2.92), California ($2.80), Washington ($2.72), Alaska ($2.63), Oregon ($2.53), Nevada ($2.53), Idaho ($2.46), Washington, D.C. ($2.44), Pennsylvania ($2.41) and New York ($2.40).

Every state in the West Coast region is among the most expensive markets, but prices have remained relatively steady despite tightened supply in California and the conclusion of planned maintenance on the Olympic pipeline in the Northwest.

Additionally, the Energy Information Administration reported West Coast gasoline supplies hitting record lows due to the fall maintenance schedule. Most refineries in this area will come back online this month.

In the Rocky Mountains region, gas prices are dropping, with North Dakota and South Dakota landing on the list of weekly decreases.

The Great Lakes region remains the most volatile, with three states landing on the list of largest weekly increases: Michigan (five cents), Ohio (five cents) and Indiana (three cents).

Drivers in the Central United States are seeing some of the cheapest gas prices in the country with three states posting prices under $2: Missouri, Oklahoma and Kansas.

States in much of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast remained relatively flat, with the exception of New Jersey (currently $2.04), where the new state gas tax took effect, bumping the price up 25 cents.

Markets in the South and Southeast continue to see some of the lowest gas prices, with seven states landing on the list of the cheapest markets: Arkansas ($1.98), Texas ($2.02), Mississippi ($2.03), South Carolina ($2.04), Alabama ($2.04), Louisiana ($2.05) and Tennessee ($2.06). Despite these low prices, drivers in Georgia saw prices jump eight cents in the last week due to the problems on the Colonial Pipeline.