Gas prices fall again in R.I., Mass.

GASOLINE PRICES CONTINUE TO drop in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, according to AAA Northeast's weekly survey. / BLOOMBERG NEWS FILE PHOTO/ANDREW HARRER
GASOLINE PRICES CONTINUE TO drop in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, according to AAA Northeast's weekly survey. / BLOOMBERG NEWS FILE PHOTO/ANDREW HARRER

PROVIDENCE – Self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline fell 2 cents and 3 cents in Rhode Island and Massachusetts, respectively, this week.
In Rhode Island, self-serve, regular unleaded gasoline is averaging $2.23 per gallon, 2 cents lower than last week and 11 cents lower than this year’s high of $2.34 just before Memorial Day, AAA Northeast said Monday.
Today’s price is significantly lower than $4.10 per gallon, the price Rhode Island drivers were paying eight years ago in July, the highest gas price ever recorded locally, AAA said.
Eight years ago, gas prices also reached a high of $4.09 per gallon in Massachusetts. This week, they are averaging $2.17 per gallon for self-serve, regular unleaded, which is 3 cents lower than last week and 14 cents lower than the 2016 high of $2.31 recorded in mid-June. A year ago at this time, the average price in Massachusetts was 50 cents higher at $2.67. The Massachusetts price is 5 cents below the national average of $2.22.
Rhode Island’s current price is 1 cent above the national average. A year ago at this time, the average price in Rhode Island was 51 cents higher at $2.74.
“We’ve seen estimates that some 30,000 stations across the country have average prices of less than $2 per gallon,” Lloyd P. Albert, AAA Northeast senior vice president of public and government affairs, said in a statement. “While the lowest prices aren’t being found in the Northeast, this trend is great news for the millions of Americans taking or planning summer road trips.
“Strong oil supply is the primary factor in the lower prices,” Albert added. “And we are struck by the fact that prices are lower than Memorial Day, reversing the traditional trend of, more often than not, higher prices over the summer.”
Prices in the Ocean State range from $2.05 to $2.39, with midgrade unleaded at $2.48; premium unleaded at $2.68; and diesel, $2.36.
Prices in the Bay State range from $1.99 to $2.59, with midgrade unleaded at $2.43; premium unleaded at $2.61; and diesel, $2.38.

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