Lines of cars gathered at Starkville gas stations and out-of-gas signs went up around town as people rushed to buy gas in the aftermath of Katrina.
“I went all over town looking for regular gas, but mostly all they had left was premium,” junior English major Heather Tucker said.
Gas prices varied throughout Starkville Thursday afternoon.
At 5 p.m., regular-grade gasoline cost $2.69 per gallon at the Sprint Mart at 300 Highway 12 W, employee Jake Rager said.
Regular-grade gas cost $2.89 per gallon at Gas Mart at 868 Highway 12 W., Linda Parker, who works there, said.
New Lite Grocery and Deli was sold out, but employee Latrise Jordan said regular-grade gas would have cost $2.68 if they still had any. “We’re told it’ll be $3.29 when we do get it.”
Pete Smith, representing Gov. Haley Barbour’s office, said Wednesday via telephone at a conference at Mississippi State University that rumors of only emergency personnel purchasing gasoline are not true and there are no gas shortages.
Damage to refineries on the Gulf Coast and oil rigs in the Gulf contributed to the rise in prices.
The oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico produce about one-fourth of America’s oil, Mississippi State University associate professor of economics Randy Campbell said. When hurricanes like Ivan and Katrina blow through at full force, the rigs must be shut down and evacuated and are often damaged by the storms.
Not only are the rigs out of service, but trucks delivering the gas cannot travel on damaged roads, so stations often run out of fuel. Many stations in the metro area have already exhausted their supply. By Tuesday at 6:15 pm, the Pilot Travel Center on Gallatin St in Jackson was one of the only gas stations that still had fuel and electricity to run the pumps. When contacted, the clerk at this station quoted a price of $2.75 a gallon, a forty-cent jump from 7:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Gas prices rose in the weeks before the hurricane. In the past two weeks alone, gas prices jumped an average of sixteen cents across the nation, according to Mississippi Public Broadcasting. The cost of gas has risen more than thirty-five cents in the past month, according to the Automobile Association of America. In the past year, prices increased over seventy-five cents. Jumps in prices are most directly linked with supply and demand, Campbell said.
“Gas prices typically rise over the summer months due to increased demand,” he said. People travel more, which causes higher gas consumption.
The increased use of gas in countries like China and India, which historically have had low gas consumption, also increases demand, Campbell said.
Campbell said the future of the oil industry is hard to predict, but most economists agree that gas prices will continue to rise. “I’ve not seen anyone who predicted prices would fall any time soon.”
Students can take many steps to save money on gas, mechanical engineering professor James Parsons said. Some simple changes can help reduce the amount of fuel used on a daily basis. “Keep your car in tune, the air pressure in the tires at the recommended levels, and slow down!” Parsons said.
A common misconception is that running the air conditioner affects gas consumption. Reality is quite the contrary, he said. “Usually running the AC at highway speeds is better than opening the windows.”
Other options, if possible, are public transportation, carpooling, walking, or riding a bike.
Tucker finally found regular-grade gasoline at the BP at the intersection of Highway 82 and Montgomery Street, she said, but she waited in line for 15 minutes.