Prices at the gas pump are much lower than they have been in years.
The following prices were valid as of noon Thursday, and as such are subject to have changed by press time.
Thursday, the cheapest price per gallon was being offered by RaceTrac at $1.439, with the Chevron on Memorial Boulevard following close behind at $1.449 per gallon.
Mike’s at the corner of Goodyear Boulevard and Beech Street was asking $1.599 for a gallon.
For drivers who prefer gas without added ethanol, the Pure gas station on U.S. 11 was asking $1.79 for a gallon. Pure Country on Miss. 43 S. had a sign out front asking the same price, but the price at the pump was $1.69 for a gallon of gas without ethanol.
On average, gas stations around Picayune were asking $1.55 for a gallon of regular unleaded. A gallon of diesel is running between $1.95 and $2 per gallon.
While some may find the cheaper prices easy on the wallet, there’s been some debate as to how long the low prices will last. The Clarion Ledger reported last week that the Mississippi Department of Transportation is requesting a gas tax increase to fund road and bridge repairs. The state currently collects 18.4 cents per gallon as an excise tax, the story states.
But while the price of gas stays low truck and SUV sales have spiked. Eric Risley works for a local car dealership, and said that sales of trucks and SUVs have increased. However, Risley has heard that some people are losing their jobs in the oil industry due to the price drop.
Sid Jones would like to know why the price of other goods has not dropped with the price of gas. He recalls the increase in the price of gas was given as the reason for increasing the price of goods transported by trucks. His contention is that now that the price has dropped, so should the price of those goods.