Gas prices are creeping back up, but Aiken resident Marcus Provost isn't upset because the Palmetto State is still boasting the cheapest prices in the nation by more than three cents a gallon.
Provost filled up for $2.41 a gallon at the Kangaroo Station on Pine Log Road on Tuesday morning, cheaper than the $2.47 per-gallon option across the street. The Aiken resident said he's not expecting prices to get any better this summer - a feeling backed up by projections from by GasBuddy and AAA.
The lowest reported prices in Aiken are $2.34 a gallon for regular unleaded gas, significantly lower than the state average of $2.48. South Carolina sits well below national average of $2.80 a gallon.
Provost said that with vacation season just starting, he's not expecting prices to get any better.
"But it's still low compared to everybody else, so I'm not going to complain," Provost said.
According to AAA, South Carolina's $2.48 average is up about three cents from last week and 10 cents from last month. However, prices are down nearly a dollar from a year ago.
Michael Green, from AAA public relations, said in a press release that the $2.80 per-gallon average represents the highest price so far this year. The increase is due to a decline in gasoline stocks caused by high fuel demand and persistent refinery problems, which has limited gasoline production, Green said.
"Despite the rise in pump prices, drivers continue to experience significant year-over-year savings with today's average price about 86 cents per gallon less than the same date last year," Green said.
Patrick DeHaan, a senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy, added that prices aren't expected to see a significant drop any time soon. The good news, he said, is that the nation is in the eighth or ninth inning of the recent uptick in prices.
"That doesn't mean there will be a drop, but I think we're nearing the end of the increase," DeHaan said.
He added that by July 4, there should be some relief from the current national average.
"There won't be a whole lot of change, but the national average should drop by about a nickel over the next couple of weeks," DaHaan said. "South Carolina will likely stay the lowest for most of the summer."
Derrek Asberry is the SRS beat reporter with the Aiken Standard. He joined the paper in June 2013. He is originally from Vidalia, Ga., and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Follow him on Twitter @DerrekAsberry.
