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Originally Posted by DifferentPointofView
well I still don't get why gas is so high.
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Well, think about supply and demand. Since the refineries around Houston aren't working right now, the crude oil they'd normally be refining must be backed up somewhere in the supply chain, no? So less demand right now, maybe a price drop. Another consequence of the refineries not working is there's less refined gasoline being produced. Less supply, same demand, price goes up in the areas supplied by the Texas refineries. Most of the western states get their gas from California, so no price effect.
Then of course there's the pricing decisions of the individual retailers. They see a possible shortage coming, so what's their best course of action? Keep selling the gas they've got at the old prices until they run out? Or raise the price, thereby reducing demand so that they still have gas when the cheaper stations run out?