Batesville, In. — Gasoline prices in the Midwest are rising faster than any other part of the United States today. Prices in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and Illinois are expected to hit the highest levels since 2015.
Patrick Dehaan from Gasbuddy.com says a combination of refinery maintenance and pipeline issues are the culprit. Some refiners postponed scheduled maintenance as hurricane Harvey approached, now that maintenance and some repairs are underway. At the same time, the Explorer Pipeline, responsible for feeding 700,000 barrels of oil per day to refineries in Northern Indiana from Texas sustained a leak last week that interrupted supply.
Both conditions have caused a 50-cent per gallon increase in wholesale gasoline prices.
Dehaan predicts repairs could take days, during that time prices in Indiana could reach $2.95-per gallon.
