By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Gas prices are still rising at least partially as a consequence from the cold snap earlier this year.
"Today, we're at $2.66 a gallon for the average in Kansas, which is up eight cents from a week ago," said Shawn Steward with AAA Kansas. "That's up 36 cents from a month ago, when we were at $2.30 a gallon."
The reason why is shutting down production at refineries isn't easy, and neither is starting it back up.
"Refinery utilization is extremely low," Steward said. "In fact, a week ago or so, it was an all-time low. We're still seeing the effects of some of the refinery shutdowns from the February storm and extreme cold. We're still looking to get a lot of those refineries back on line."
Reno County is doing okay relative to the rest of the state.
"Reno County is at $2.62 a gallon, which is four cents less than the state average," Steward said. "Kansas is 14th cheapest in the U.S. as of today."
It remains to be seen if getting back to normal production levels has a price dropping effect at the pump going forward.
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