Demand and prices drop

• Gas prices

Press Photo by Beth Wischmeyer Don Herauf of Dickinson watches the pump at DJ’s Tesoro on Tuesday in Dickinson. Herauf said he’s glad gas prices are lower and said he had to cut down on travel when prices were higher.

Talk about it

A recent drop in gas prices means good news for those traveling for the holidays.

With North Dakota prices at an average of $1.87 per gallon in comparison to last year’s $3-plus a gallon, many are glad to see the change.

Ron Ness, president of the North Dakota Petroleum Council said the change has to do with supply and demand.

“Gas prices have dropped because crude oil prices have dropped and demand has dropped,” Ness said. “Initially it was partially due to people reducing their driving, but right now I think it’s the downturn in the world economy.”

Bev Clyde, who drives to Dickinson everyday from Medora for work, says the price fluctuation from town to town makes her more selective about where she fills up.

“I know that we always swing into Belfield to fill up, we watch the prices,” Clyde said.

Clyde said she has noticed that Belfield’s gas prices have been lower in comparison to Dickinson’s.

Ness said the change from town to town has to do with local market conditions and competition.

“That is essentially the reason gas prices vary,” Ness said. “It’s the only commodity that we buy that we can shop for at 55 miles per hour or 80 miles an hour.”

Clyde said she didn’t change how much she drove because of higher prices.

“I choose not to live in a recession,” she said. “We can be in a recession if we want to be or we can choose not to, it’s just called making good choices. We are just living our life and we haven’t slowed down at all.”

Ness said consistency in the price of gas may change, depending on the crude oil market and if demand significantly increases, such as holiday travel.

Locally, some gas stations have seen an increase in traffic, whereas others haven’t noticed a significant change.

“Really I think it’s about the same,” said Scott Boutin, manager of the Holiday Station store on Museum Drive. “I have heard a lot of people talking about the lower gas prices.”

Tags: gas, prices, dickinson, nd, crude, oil, driving, belfield