GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A lot of drivers are going to see a dreaded sight as they head to work this morning with another big jump at the pump.
In West Michigan, drivers are even seeing above average costs as they fill up their tanks.
Gas prices jumped significantly overnight Wednesday.
The BP gas station on Plainfield Avenue and I-96 as well as many nearby are seeing an average of $4.49 per gallon of regular gas. That's despite AAA reporting averages remained at $4.23 per gallon.
Although, those numbers will likely update as more gas stations open up later in the morning.
One of the biggest factors driving the increase comes from the shutdown of a BP oil refinery in Ohio following a fire last month.
According to AAA, Michigan's average gas prices are consistently higher compared to the rest of the country for this week, last week, a month ago and a year ago.
The highest recorded price in the Grand Rapids metro area was on June 8th of this year when gas sat at $5.18 per gallon on average.
Oakland University Professor Chris Kobus has been teaching about the energy sector for over 27 years. He gave our sister station, WXYZ, some insight as to why gas prices might be higher in our state.
"We only have one major refinery here in the state, so we are dependent on other refineries out of state to supply us with gas," said Oakland University Professor Chris Kobus.
Kobus also added he didn't see prices going down anytime soon.
"One of the big bottlenecks we have here in the country is refinery capacity, and nobody is investing in more refineries and better refineries," said Kobus.
His idea of fixing it? Changing people's habits. He said when people use less gas that will lower demand. He also added it's better for the environment.
