Editor’s Note: A new gas price study from the state attorney general’s office tracked location-specific prices through the state, including an in-depth analysis of factors influencing both wholesale and retail prices.
OLYMPIA — If you want to get a better deal on gasoline, get off the North Olympic Peninsula — or fuel up in Jefferson County.
Clallam County had the fourth-highest gas prices in the state in 2007, behind San Juan, Okanogan and Pacific counties, according to a study commissioned by state Attorney General Rob McKenna.
Prices were lower in Jefferson County, where the average price was 14th in the state.
It’s getting the gas here that hikes prices, the study concluded.
According to figures compiled for McKenna by University of Washington economist Keith Leffler, wholesale fuel prices vary no more than 3.4 cents per gallon across the state.
But the cost of transporting the precious petroleum product can boost retail prices per gallon hugely.
The study uncovered no illegal conduct in the pricing of gasoline from 2000 to 2008, McKenna’s report said.
Leffler charted average per gallon prices in 2007 across the state.
The range, including Clallam and Jefferson counties, shows these costs:
Meanwhile, diesel consumption has risen while demand for gasoline has declined slightly.
The amount of gas consumed by Washington state drivers dropped by 1 percent from 2003 to 2007.
In the same period, diesel consumption climbed 31 percent.
