State Gas Tax Hike Raises Average Fuel Prices

Northern Public Radio | By Chase Cavanaugh

Published July 16, 2019 at 4:04 PM CDT

Carl Nelson/WNIJ

Illinois raised its per-gallon gasoline tax at the beginning of July and it’s already having an effect on state prices.

AAA reports the current state average is around $3.14 per gallon, and may be driving some border residents to get their fuel in other states. GasBuddy petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan says the change came quickly.

“Average prices shot up noticeably within the first 24 hours but it took almost 48-72 hours for stations to fully pass along the state’s 19 cent per gallon increase in gasoline tax,” he said.

DeHaan says prices also remain high because of increased oil costs. This, he says, is due to tensions between Iran and the West in the Persian Gulf.

Chase Cavanaugh

Chase started in radio while earning his Master's in diplomacy and international commerce at the University of Kentucky. He was bitten by the radio bug while volunteering at Radio Eye (a local equivalent to NIRIS) and soon became a reporter at WUKY. After four years of reporting in Kentucky's Bluegrass, Chase traveled north to join WNIJ as Morning Edition producer. He organizes our morning broadcast, making sure the host is well-supplied with interesting, fresh content. In addition to his pre-dawn duties, Chase reports on a variety of developments in our broadcast area but is particularly drawn to anything with a political or international connection. He is also an avid board gamer.

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