Kansas City drivers enjoying $3 gas

Many drivers hoping for gasoline at $3 a gallon are getting their wish in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas and a few other cities.

According to GasBuddy.com, St. Louis had the lowest average price at $2.97, and Kansas City was right behind at $2.98. Tulsa and two cities in South Carolina, Spartansburg and Greenville, averaged $2.99.

Missouri, which has some of the lowest gas taxes among the states, had the lowest average regular gas pump price Monday at just under $3.01, according to AAA. Kansas, where gas taxes are a few cents higher, was tied for seventh with Alabama at just under $3.11.

“The main factor at work is the price of crude oil,” said Mike Right, AAA spokesman. “Crude is around $90 a barrel and has been for several weeks. It was $110 a barrel earlier this year.

“Supplies are more than adequate, and we’ve seen some falling off of demand, more than expected.”

Right said the switch from more expensive summer blends — which some urban areas such as Kansas City and St. Louis must use to fight smog — also has helped bring prices down, as has the usual seasonal slackening in demand in the fall.

Industry and government energy analysts a month ago said $3 gas could be coming, thanks to the declining prices for crude oil. And with concerns abating about the conflicts in the Middle East disrupting supplies, oil prices have kept dropping.

“Prices do typically pick up in spring,” Right said, but till then the good news for drivers could continue — especially if international crises don’t flare up and pipelines and refineries keep operating smoothly.

This story was originally published October 6, 2014 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Kansas City drivers enjoying $3 gas."