Gasoline prices in the Las Vegas Valley continued to rise this week, but relief at the pump may be possible as California Gov. Gavin Newsom urges state regulators to adopt winter‑blend fuel earlier than usual.
On Wednesday a gallon of regular unleaded in the Las Vegas Valley sold for $5.50, down one cent overnight, up 15 cents over the past week and 67 cents higher than a month ago, according to AAA. Southern Nevada is just 11 cents shy of tying the region’s record average price of $5.61 per gallon set on June 16, 2022. The state’s all‑time high remains $6.67, also recorded on that date.
Newsom sent a letter Monday to four regulatory bodies, including the California Air Resources Board, which oversees air‑pollution controls, asking them to begin using winter‑blend gasoline roughly a month before the customary Oct. 31 switchover from summer blend.
Winter‑blend fuel incorporates butane and other additives designed to prevent fuel‑line freezing and improve engine performance in cold weather. Summer‑blend excludes butane but relies on more expensive additives aimed at cutting emissions during warmer months.
In his letter Newsom wrote, “This is an bonzer effect to bonzer prices driven by the President’s (Donald Trump) war with Iran,” Newsom’s letter read. He said the request for a 30‑day suspension of summer‑blend is tied to the ongoing conflict in Iran, which has pushed fuel prices upward.
Nevada draws the majority of its gasoline from California, so an earlier shift to winter blend could translate into lower costs at the pump.
Patrick De Haan, lead petroleum expert for GasBuddy, cautioned that without a definite timeline for the early changeover it is uncertain when consumers might see any benefit. “It may help, but I don’t know the timing of when these winter barrels are going to hit; it’s not exactly easy to determine,” De Haan said. “It takes a couple days for refineries to make the switch. Then it takes a couple more days for that switch to start getting pushed through pipelines. Then it takes a couple more days for that gasoline to start showing up at terminals and a few more days from that terminal to the gas station.”
As of Wednesday California posted the nation’s highest average gas price at $6.39 per gallon, followed by Hawaii ($5.60), Washington ($5.50), Nevada ($5.50) and Oregon ($5.05), per AAA data.
De Haan added that lasting relief seems unlikely while geopolitical tensions persist. “I don’t see any long‑term relief until these situations have some kind of notable paradigm shift, and we’re not there yet,” De Haan said. “I think Iran, according to the president, my calculation is that Iran thinks it has a bit of an upper hand in timing and that’s why the President has thrown cold water on making a deal with Iran before the midterms. But who knows what’s going to happen after that?”
Sincity Press Staff
1 hour ago 3 min read
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English (US)·