MORNING HEADLINES | The average price of a gallon of gas in South Carolina soared above the $4 mark over the last week, a rise of 15.2 cents in the last week.
According to GasBuddy, the current average of $4.03 per gallon is 9.4 cents per gallon higher than a month ago and $1.29 per gallon higher than a year ago. The national average price per gallon is $6.49 cents per gallon.
Voters across the country tend to disagree with an assertion by President Donald Trump that higher prices were a small price to pay for the war with Iran, according to reporting by the Associated Press.
“Is it going to be groceries this week?” asked an Amazon delivery driver in south Texas. “Is it gonna be getting gas in our tank to go to work? I don’t feel like it’s a good trade-off. I don’t feel like this is good for anyone.”
Meanwhile in South Carolina, Palmetto State political leaders are reaching for the nearest lever to try to give angry consumers a break — a temporary suspension of the state’s 28-cents-per-gallon gas tax.
“This moment demands an all-of-the-above approach and all hands on deck to bring down costs for South Carolinians,” Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Annie Andrews said in a release. Among Republicans pushing for a gas tax suspension are gubernatorial candidate Alan Wilson, U.S. Rep. Russell Fry of the Grand Strand and S.C. Rep. Jordan Pace, R-Berkeley.
Nationally, the outlook for lower prices is uncertain, according to GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan.
“Diesel rose in every state, with five states seeing increases exceeding 50 cents per gallon, as continued strikes on Russian oil refineries tighten global diesel supply- a pressure further amplified in the Great Lakes by regional refinery issues. Any broader directional change will depend heavily on overseas developments, and with new Houthi attacks and fresh U.S.-Iran escalations, the outlook remains deeply uncertain.”
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In weekend headlines
CP OPINION, Brack: On hurricanes, Senate race, debates, AI. “The news has been pretty dull of late. But if you’re thinking about hurricanes, that’s good news. The Atlantic coast apparently has reached a new record: No hurricanes so far this season. That’s the longest time without a first big storm since the modern satellite era started in the mid-1960s.”
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