Soaring gas prices ignite student money woes

by Brett Stone STO05020@BYUI.EDU Scroll Staff

On his way from Minnesota to attend fall semester, Justin Larsen, a freshman, stopped to fill up his car in Nebraska, where he paid $2.82 per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline.

It has not been uncommon for many students who traveled to BYU-Idaho by car to have a chunk taken out of their wallets at the pump. Compared to a year ago, gas prices are up roughly 23 percent and nearly seven percent from just a month ago.

The general consensus, from the Department of Energy to the local Chevron manager, is that prices, at least for the near future, will not be going down. A variety of factors are driving prices up. At the international level, tensions in oil rich Middle-Eastern countries like Iraq, and an increase in demand from developing countries like China, help to bump up the cost.

Although traditionally gas prices have gone down slightly after Labor Day, according to Dave Carlson, spokesman for the AAA in Idaho, gas prices, “…probably will not take any major decreases after the Holiday.” Carlson said that any decreases in price after the high demand from summer driving is over will likely come later in the year, if they come at all.

Locally, people seem to be taking the rising prices in stride. Smith Ford-Mercury reports that even with the rising prices they haven’t seen an increase in hybrid or high fuel economy vehicle sales, while truck and SUV sales have held steadily near 85 percent.

Students at BYU-I have also said that it won’t have a very large effect on their daily activities such as getting groceries or going on dates. However, “I’m less excited about trips because of gas prices,” said Jared Hulme, a freshman who recently traveled across the state to and from Weiser, Idaho.