Metro Detroit Gas Prices Up 34 Cents In Last Month

DEARBORN, MI — Gas prices are continuing to surge across Metro Detroit.

It costs $2.51 for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Metro Detroit, according to the latest AAA statistics. That's up roughly one cent in the last week. That doesn't seem major, but get this - it's approximately 34 cents more a gallon than what we were shelling out just a month ago.

Why are gas prices trending upwards? Reason number one: When the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2017, a gas tax hike of 7.3 cents a gallon went into effect statewide. The gas tax jump was passed by Governor Rick Snyder in Nov. 2015 as part of a $1.2 billion dollar road funding package to repair Michigan's terrible roads.
Reason number two behind surging fuel prices: In Nov. 2016, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided to cut production of oil by 1.2 million barrels a day for six months. OPEC will decide whether or not to extend the production cut - which would likely extend the gas price pain for consumers - at its next Ordinary Meeting on May 25, 2017 in Vienna, Austria.

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