PLATTSBURGH — SUNY Plattsburgh student Stanley Blow III has a car but doesn’t drive it often here because gas is not cheap.
“(But) when I have to go home, I really feel the pain of having to open my wallet,” he said. “Luckily, I drive a pretty small car, so it doesn’t cost me nearly as much as it does others.
“I can probably fill my tank from empty for about $35 to $40.”
A month ago, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas was $3.71 in New York state, according to GasBuddy.com, which was actually 12 cents cheaper than the same time last year.
But prices climbed a total 14 cents between Jan. 16 and Feb. 15 to $3.94 per unleaded gallon. And between Monday and Friday this week, some North Country gas stations hiked prices as much as 10 cents.
The cost to put a gallon of regular in the tank last year at this time was about $3.83.
‘PENALIZED HERE’
There’s a sense of unfairness, too — gas in New York state is about 33 cents a gallon more expensive than the national average, which, as of Friday, was just $3.64.
SUNY Plattsburgh student Tim Maggio has noticed the higher gas prices here — in his hometown of Newark in Wayne County, motorists paid about $3.78 a gallon on Friday, GasBuddy.com reported.
Maggio said he makes it a point to drive only rarely. Instead, he chooses to take the SUNY campus shuttle as a less expensive alternative.
Rhonda Barber, owner of trucking company X-PLO Inc. in Plattsburgh, said she can’t believe how expensive gas is in a part of the country where wages are so low.
“Why are we being penalized here when wages are lower?” she said in a phone interview. “The biggest problem is, why can you go two hours down the road and the prices are 50 cents a gallon cheaper?”
Barber has nine trucks on the road, and it costs her company $10,000 a month for fuel.
— News Editor Suzanne Moore contributed to this report.
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GAS PRICES
The Press-Republican conducts an occasional gas price survey.
Here is a sampling of the price of regular unleaded gas around the area as of Feb. 15. The first number is from Dec. 23, 2012.
- Betty Beaver Truck Stop, Lewis $3.77 $4.08.
- Cadyville Gulf, Cadyville $3.69 $3.89.
- Dubrey's Service Station, Plattsburgh $3.85 $4.05.
- Eastern Door Convenience Store, Hogansburg $3.63 $3.90.
- Mountain Mart, Malone $3.77 $4.09.
- Nice N Easy, Tupper Lake $3.79 $3.99.
- Port Henry Mobil, Port Henry $3.77 $3.93.
- Ray Brook Sunoco and Deli $3.69 $3.89.
- Route 11 Mobil, Champlain $3.83 $4.03.
- Saleem Mobil, Plattsburgh $3.77 $3.96.
- Saranac Country Store, Saranac $3.75 $3.95.
- Stewart's Shop, Dannemora $3.67 $3.91.
- Village Meat Market, Willsboro $3.79 $3.99.
- W W Carwash, Plattsburgh $3.79 $3.99.
- Westport Mobil, Westport $3.89 $4.15.
