Maine households rethink summer time journey as gasoline costs rise

KENNEBUNK, Maine (WGME) — Recent polls present 7 in 10 persons are sad with the War in Iran, which has pushed up gas costs. AAA says the common value of normal unleaded in Maine is now $4.48 a gallon, up from $3.05 a gallon a 12 months in the past immediately. For many households making summer time trip plans, the ache on the pump is actual.

At the Kennebunk relaxation cease and gasoline stations in Downeast Maine, the value for normal unleaded is $4.59 a gallon. For diesel gas, the value jumps as much as $5.86 a gallon, with some huge cash being spent right here on the pumps. Timothy MacKillop delivers gas to gasoline stations in Maine, even on holidays like Memorial Day.

“I just deliver (fuel). I have nothing to do with the prices,” he instructed us. “I don’t like paying the four dollars and something a gallon either.” Nobody does. But heading into the busy summer time vacationer season, that is the truth. Matt Finacom lives south of Worcester. He dropped off his fifth Wheel at a Maine campground this weekend.

“It’s kind of crazy to be honest with you,” he instructed us. “When we tow our trailer up, it probably costs us about $200 to bring it up and $200 to bring it back. So, we decided to leave it up there seasonally because it’s cheaper for us in the long run.” Experts say these excessive costs will trigger many households to take fewer holidays and holidays nearer to residence.

Bob Berardi says it now prices him practically $150 to fill his RV. Last summer time it was $100. He’s now rethinking whether or not they can afford to take the RV to South Dakota. “We’re supposed to go out to Mount Rushmore this summer. And we’re thinking about it. But we have to put a little extra funds away so we can have enough money for gas,” he instructed us.

Families with brief trip drives, like from Massachusetts to Maine, are much less prone to change their plans. “Probably not. Probably still come up to Maine quite a few times,” says Matthew Finacom from Needham, MA. “I wish there was a better resolution than what seems to be coming down the pike.”

“It’s very much largely contingent on whether or not there’s a real opening of the Strait of Hormuz,” says GasBuddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis, Patrick De Haan. When open, the Strait of Hormuz provides 20% of the world’s oil. There is speak of a deal between the U.S. and Iran. But De Haan says speak just isn’t sufficient to decrease gasoline costs.

“Until we start seeing ships sail through on a daily basis through the strait, gas prices are probably going to continue going up over the span of the summer until that happens,” he says. A U.S.-Iranian deal is essential to open the Strait of Hormuz. Oil analysts predict unleaded gasoline costs may attain $5 a gallon this summer time if that strait does not open.