Prices for fuel were on the rise locally this week, bounding back to the $3.60 mark. And that put Great Bend in the midst of the mix of fuel prices across the state.
Low price reported in the state Wednesday was $3.21 in Manhattan. Other prices included: $3.45, Hays; $3.47, Ogden, and Hays; $3.48, Eudora; $3.49, Wichita, Augusta and Junction City; $3.50, Topeka and Wichita; $3.53, Manhattan, Emporia and Garden City; $3.54, Salina; $3.55, Liberal, Garden City, Salina and Hays; $3.56, Hutchinson and Salina; $3.57, Salina, Hays and Dodge City; $3.58, Hutchinson and Emporia; $3.59, Salina, Lawrence and Garden City, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Emporia; $3.61, Lawrence; $3.64, Liberal; $3.65, Dodge City and Garden City; $3.67, Salina; $3.69, Lawrence; $3.74, Salina and Sabetha; $3.75, Hiawatha, Powhattan, Ottawa; $3.79, Cherryvale, Parsons, Belleville and Chanute; $3.80, Ulysses; and $3.89, Ellsworth.
The average price in Kansas on Wednesday was $3.62, compared to $3.60 a week ago and $3.41 a month ago. Kansas is back to being almost a dollar higher than prices were this time last year. The state average a year ago was $2.64.
On Wednesday, the national average was $3.70, compared to $3.57 a month ago and $2.75 a year ago.
The prices are reported on Kansas Gas Prices, which is operated by Gas Buddy Organization, that was developed as a way for the public to report changes in gas prices around the nation.
The Kansas prices are available at www.kansasgasprices.com.
Some communities are listed more than once in the prices, because there are a variety of gas prices available.
According to the Associated Press, prices are on the way up again.
Oil topped $100 per barrel for the first time since early June late last week as a private research group said the economy should keep growing this year while European leaders discussed more financial aid for Greece.
The Conference Board said its index of leading economic indicators rose 0.3 percent in June. The increase suggested the economy won’t fall back into a recession over the next few months, even with high unemployment and a weak housing market.
Officials in Europe prepared a new rescue package for Greece at an emergency summit in Brussels. The move strengthened the euro relative to the dollar. Oil, which is priced in dollars, tends to rise as the dollar weakens and makes crude cheaper for investors holding foreign currencies.
Benchmark West Texas Intermediate crude for August delivery rose $1.60 to $100 per barrel in midday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It reached $100.16 earlier. Brent crude, which is used to price many international varieties, gained 71 cents at $118.86 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.
Retail gasoline continued its climb.
Meanwhile, the International Energy Agency said it may release more oil to hold off future price spikes. The IEA, which announced plans last month to dump millions of barrels onto the market, said it “stands ready” to add more if needed.
On June 23 the IEA said it will release 60 million barrels of oil, mostly from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to make up for 1.5 million barrels of daily exports lost after Libya was engulfed in an anti-government rebellion that started in February.