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Gasoline '$1.99 Club' grows to 17 states as oil prices continue fall

Brian C. Rittmeyer
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There are now 17 states with at least one station selling gasoline at $1.99 per gallon, and more are likely to be joining the “$1.99 club,” a gas price analyst says.

Pennsylvania isn’t likely to be one of them, according to Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.

Primarily due to its nation-leading 58.7 cents per gallon state tax, it’s unlikely Pennsylvania will see prices at $1.99 per gallon or lower, DeHaan said.

“At least, not unless some miraculous price war breaks out and stations sell under cost,” DeHaan said. “It is possible that some stations reach that level depending on if oil prices continue to tank.”

Average gas prices in Pennsylvania fell 6.2 cents per gallon in the past week, to an average of $2.81, according to GasBuddy’s survey of 731 stations. That’s higher than the national average of $2.53, which is down 7.8 cents per gallon from last week.

Locally, prices are 26.7 cents per gallon lower than a month ago, and 1.6 cents per gallon lower than a year ago. The national average has dropped 29.4 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 3.4 cents per gallon higher than a year ago.

States where at least one station is selling gas at $1.99 per gallon include Texas, New York, Missouri, Louisiana, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Michigan, Virginia, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Tennessee and Illinois

“The good news is it won’t end there,” DeHaan said.

“In the week ahead, motorists in most states will likely see further drops, saving the country $125 million a day versus prices in early October,” he added.

Brian Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BCRittmeyer.