Why Is the Cost of Gas in Lubbock So Dang High?

If you've had to fill up any time recently, you may have been taken aback but how high the price per gallon was. Even in my small Mazda, it's nearly $30 to fill my tank. If you're like me, you're using whatever gas discounts you can get your hands on.

In fact, gas is so high that it affected the purchase of my new car over the weekend. I got a late model Volkswagen Jetta from Gene Messer Volkswagen to keep my gas bill lower. It also didn't hurt that it's a pretty sexy car considering how fuel-efficient it is.

However, in spite of gas being ridiculously expensive, we have it good here in Lubbock. Our average at the time I'm typing this is $2.59/gallon. The statewide average is a little higher at $2.61/gallon, and the nationwide average is $2.83/gallon. Californians have it the worst, surprisingly even worse than Hawaii, at near $4/gallon.

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Is Texas' cold snap in February to blame for the price hike? That appears to be a yes and no. Yes, prices did immediately spike in light of the extreme weather, but it's other factors that are sustaining the high cost.

The lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, along with warmer weather in general, is creating a ton of demand, but OPEC is keeping supply low, according to Forbes. Another factor keeping the supply low is the switch between "winter gas" and "summer gas". Yes, they're different, and in addition to causing downtime in refineries while making the switch, "summer gas" costs more to make. There's also speculation/market tomfoolery keeping prices high for political reasons.

In essence, every dang thing is making gas more expensive, and these are all factors that are going to stick around for quite a while. I won't blame you if you go buy a Jetta too. Just don't cut your hair like mine. I have to maintain my personal style somehow.