Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First
For At Least A Week, Local Fuel Costs As Low As In Other Areas
Average gas prices in Kimball dropped about 9 cents last week – from $2.24 to $2.15 per gallon of regular unleaded, according to a Western Nebraska Observer survey.
The drop brings Kimball to within an uncharacteristically close 2 cents of Nebraska’s average, according to statewide gas prices Jan. 7 in GasBuddy’s weekly report.
“I’m enjoying it,” said Tammy Miller, coordinator of the Kimball Banner County Chamber of Commerce. “I’m glad the price is down there, and I hope it stays down there with the state average. Any time prices are lower, it’s a positive for anybody.”
Miller said she believes that increased costs associated with delivering goods to smaller communities may contribute to typically higher prices for gas here, but that the expense “equals out” when considering the Kimball-Banner County area’s desirable “family lifestyle” and small town quality of life.
For now, though, national declines in fuel prices have arrived in Kimball with a big impact.
Gasoline prices in Nebraska rose 0.3 cents last week and averaged $2.13 on Jan. 7, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 1,150 stations in Nebraska. This compares with the national average that fell 3 cents to $2.22, the gas price survey company said.
In Nebraska, prices are 33.4 cents lower than a year ago and 15.5 cents lower than a month ago. The national average dropped 19.9 cents this last month and is 26 cents lower than a year ago.
Regionally, Kimball gas prices this week compare competitively. Gas in Lincoln is at $2.14, down 2.2 cents from last week; $2.06 in Omaha, down 0.9 cents; and $2.17 in South Dakota, down 4.2 cents.
“After a brief hiccup that saw the nation’s average gas price rise for two days last week, the overall trend remains in favor of lower gas prices, even as oil prices have rallied,” GasBuddy’s Patrick DeHaan said Monday. “The window for cheap gas prices continues to close, however, and by mid-February will likely be completely closed.”
DeHaan said that “while 11 states are seeing their statewide average under $2 per gallon, nearly half of the nation’s gas stations are selling under $2 per gallon. In fact, while the average price remains higher, the median gas price in the U.S. sits at $2.07 per gallon, much of which can be blamed on much higher gas prices on the West Coast.”
GasBuddy noted that average Jan. 7 gasoline prices in Nebraska ranged widely the previous five years: $2.46 in 2018, $2.36 in 2017, $1.89 in 2016, $2.04 in 2015 and $3.12 in 2014.