The average gas price nationwide has declined steadily for almost 50 days — the longest decline since 2008 — and has reached its lowest point since 2010. But Island gas prices are still among the highest in the state.
As a black pickup truck rumbled away from the Depot Corner gas station in Edgartown with a pair of lawn mowers stowed in its bed, the screen at the pump displayed the hard truth: $191.64 for just over 41 gallons of regular gasoline. And this isn’t an exceptional case. Infamous in years past for its high prices, the Vineyard is a place where drivers should expect to see their wallets lightened by some of the nation’s most expensive gasoline this summer.
As home heating costs continue to squeeze consumer budgets, the
blame game also escalates.
Homeowners fault the weather - here and elsewhere - as
home heating fuel originally intended for the Northeast is diverted to
the Midwest and other regions where last summer's heat and this
winter's single-digit temperatures have spiked the demand.
Manuel Suza just ordered a fill-up at deBettencourt's gas
station in Oak Bluffs and only had to shell out $1.66. No wonder he was
still smiling.
His rig barely uses any fuel, but it comes with a price. It's
a moped, and he's riding the thing in 35 degree weather. That
explains the thickly-insulated coveralls and ski gloves.
Mr. Suza is one of a handful of hearty Islanders who rely on a
vehicle that would hardly win a popularity contest on the Vineyard.
That's the cost of doing business for landscaper James Hayes now that gas prices have soared beyond $2.50 a gallon. Every five days, he swallows the steep price to keep his GMC 4X4 truck on the road. He charges it and reminds himself that as a small businessman, he can write it off at the end of the year.
Gasoline prices on the Vineyard have hit record highs this summer, with the cost of premium gasoline now topping three dollars a gallon at some stations - well above both the state and national averages.
As of Tuesday, Tisbury Shell and Edgartown Mobil both were charging $3.04 per gallon for premium gasoline. Regular gasoline prices still hover a few cents shy of the three dollar mark, averaging $2.89 per gallon at the Island's nine stations. The Menemsha Shell has the lowest price for regular gas on the Island, at $2.82.
Aquinnah Selectmen Will Seek Bylaw to Regulate Energy Use
By IAN FEIN
With the energy demands of large homes a growing concern across the
Island, Aquinnah selectmen this week unanimously endorsed a regulation
that would require new homes over a certain size to include renewable
energy sources such as solar panels or wind turbines.
"This is an important measure," selectman James Newman
said at the regular board meeting on Tuesday, after proposing the energy
requirement. "And I think that this community should be a leader
on the issue."
With gasoline prices at an all-time high across the country, the
Vineyard stands in the top ranks for prices paid at the pump, as the
cost of premium gas climbed above the four dollar mark at most Island
stations this week and regular trailed not far behind.
After 30 years of operating the Island's largest oil and gas supplier, Ralph Packer is quite aware that many Islanders feel they pay way too much to heat their homes in the winter.
"I start to hear it every year when it gets cold; people think they're getting ripped off" Mr. Packer said. "They are automatically suspicious when their [oil bills] go up each year"
On an Island already known for its high cost of living, the Vineyard now claims the dubious distinction of having the highest gasoline prices in the state and among the highest in the nation. Prices for regular gas eclipsed the $4 a gallon mark at most Island service stations this week, while premium prices climbed as high as $4.39 a gallon.
