Gas prices on the rise in the Black Hills

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KEVN) - Gas prices in the hills are on the rise in the area. In the past few weeks, some stations in the Black Hills have raised their prices over 20 cents to the gallon.

The factors that play into the increase in gas can be multi-faceted, but some are easy to pin down. The biggest contributing factor is that more people travel in the summer, raising the demand for fuel and in turn, raising the price per gallon.

Additionally, a more fuel-efficient “summer blend” of fuel is legally required during hotter months, and that costs more than traditional fuel. Another big factor in the price you pay at the pump is the cost of crude oil per barrel. If oil is more expensive, that generally will translate to higher costs per gallon for consumers.

One expert says this trend looks bad but could be worse.

“Yeah two summers ago, the summer of 2022 in June, we saw record gas prices here in the state and nationwide so thankfully we’re nowhere near that,” Shawn Steward the Public Affairs Manager for AAA South Dakota said.

Steward emphasized just how hard it can be to predict gas price trends but said that generally, we will start to see those prices dip in August or September.

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