Green Bay Reporter

Rep. Bryan Steil (R-Kenosha) took to Twitter twice this week to make sidebars about gas prices, which are over a gallon more than they were at the same time last year.

Gas prices are the highest they have been since 2014. According to GasBuddy, the average price of a gallon of gasoline in the U.S. is $3.32.

In October 2020, the average cost of a gallon of gas in Wisconsin was $1.95, and the national average cost was $2.14, according to WAOW.

“Gas prices are $1.08/per gallon more expensive than they were a year ago," Steil said in a tweet. "Under President Trump, we enjoyed energy independence and low gas prices. Under Biden, the price of almost everything is soaring.”

The rise in cost is partially due to greater demand for than supply of crude oil. According to AAA, the price of a barrel of crude oil rose from around $60 in August to over $80 currently, according to CNBC.

CNBC reports that California, Hawaii and Nevada have the highest average gas prices at $4.45 per gallon, $4.13 and $3.90 per gallon, respectively.

Wisconsin gas prices are among the lowest in the country, averaging $3.142 per gallon. The lowest average prices are $2.97, $2.94 and $2.92 for Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas, respectively.

Head of Petroleum Analysis at GasBuddy Patrick De Haan told CNBC there are several ways to save money on gas prices including driving slower to allow your vehicle engine to run more smoothly, shop around for the best gas prices and take advantage of royalty programs.

According to CNBC, there are apps available such as GasBuddy, Gas Guru and AAA TripTik.

"Gas prices continued to soar in a majority of the nation over the last week as oil's meteoric rise pulls gasoline and other refined product prices higher. But, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel," De Haan said, according to WAOW. "The sharp rise we've seen over the last three weeks should begin slowing down soon, barring another jump in the price of oil. This is because gasoline prices have now largely caught up to the jump in oil that started nearly a month ago. This isn't an all clear for the future, however, as oil prices could rise again at any time. But for now, oil has held around $83 per barrel, and without a further climb, gas price increases should slow down soon in the bulk of the nation."