ORONO, Maine (NEWS CENTER) -- You may have noticed gas prices are beginning to creep up again, and we're all feeling the pain at the pump.
Jim McConnon is an Economics Professor at the University of Maine. Citing the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report Tuesday, he said the average price for regular gasoline in Maine is $3.58 per gallon, up almost forty cents per gallon compared to a year ago.
He said there are a number of different reasons for prices being so steep, including high oil prices and instability in the Middle East. He says average gas prices in Maine right now are second highest in New England.
"The gasoline that we get has to be transported here. The refining capacity that we have is not sufficient to meet all of the demands that we have up here," McConnon said. "So when you add transportation costs into the mix, we are farther away than those markets that are south of us which are closer to the Philadelphia markets, the Boston markets."
McConnon says many researchers are predicting that gas prices will continue to go up heading into the spring and summer months. For tips on how to better calculate fuel costs and how to save money at the pump, click here.
NEWS CENTER