Getting a queasy feeling at the pump? You’re not alone


There’s an epidemic that’s spread across California and it’s got almost everyone feeling queasy.

No, we’re not talking about a new strain of the flu or the high pollen counts triggered by the rain-fueled super blooms.

We’re talking about “at-the-pump-itis,” a condition common to Californians this time of year when the oil refineries start producing their summer-blend fuels and the prices at gas stations begin their creep upward.

Symptoms include nausea, disbelief and anxiety. Side effects include a lighter wallet, reconsideration of a planned road trip and muscle ache from pushing a car that’s out of gas.

Industry experts say the state’s rise in gas prices has been particularly steep these last few weeks as production at a handful of the state’s oil refineries has been interrupted, in some cases due to planned maintenance, in others due to unforeseeable events, such as last month’s fire at the Phillips 66 refinery in Carson.

The reduction in production raises prices at the pump in a state that already has some of the highest gas tax rates in the nation.

Prices aren’t dropping anytime soon. In fact, in California they will increase another 5.6 cents per gallon on July 1 as part of Senate Bill 1, the gas tax initiative approved by voters in 2017 (and again in 2018) to improve roads statewide.

Another factor that will keep gas taxes from dropping is the Trump administration’s announcement Tuesday that the U.S. won’t renew waivers that let foreign countries buy oil from Iran without facing sanctions.

OPEC, global oil markets and international relations are certainly outside of the Acorn’s bailiwick, which is why we don’t have any opinion on the merits of that decision.

But we can safely say that forces both inside and outside the state have created a perfect storm to push the average cost of gas in Ventura County to over $4 a gallon. According to the price-tracking website GasBuddy, that’s up nearly 47 cents over this time last year.

It’s no wonder the sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. rose 81% from 2017 to 2018, according to Boston-based research firm Greentech Media.

So what can be done? Well, keep those tires properly inflated, reduce drag on your car, stay within the speed limit, turn down the A/C, carpool, plan out daily errands and shop for the best gas prices.

We know how smart our readership is and we want to hear from you about how you stretch your gas dollars. Are you one of the growing number of folks going electric? Do you have other gas-saving tips?

Send letters to simi@theacorn.com and help us stop the insidious at-the-pump-itis from spreading.