Letter: Gas prices: Why so high?

On Jan. 5, 2011, I went to a local station and a 10 cent increase! Where do they justify this? When the price per barrel goes down, we are lucky to see a penny decrease a week but they all sure do spike the price when the oil goes up. Hopefully, the new owners of White River Convenience will realize the public here in Meeker are getting pretty tired of these prices. In Grand Junction last week, on Patterson and 25 Road, the price for mid grade was $2.74; we were $3.09. Last month in Leadville their prices were cheaper than Meeker and about the same time we checked at Ridgeway, they, too, were cheaper. The gas stations keep blaming transportation costs, but Leadville is more difficult to get to and Ridgeway is at the foot of Red Mountain Pass. The trucks pass through here coming and going. Now we leave town with just enough gas to get to Junction and fill up there. On Sunday, Dec. 26 we went to a local station to fill up and on all the pumps it said “see attendant.” Pretty hard to do when no one is there.
Channel 9 News said the average price in Colorado was $2.75. To get an average, as we all know, you take the high and the low. I am pretty sure Meeker is the high and I would love to see the location of the low. As the editor, would you please go to each of these stations and ask why we are so high. Several weeks ago there was a letter regarding our price for gas in Meeker, but not one owner of these stations commented. Maybe we need to call channels 9, 7 and 4 to get some answers. Thank you for your time and hopefully some research and explanations can be brought to the public.
Barbara Moore
Meeker