Washington gas prices hits $4.20, while national average at $3.73

Motorists across most of the country have been getting a
break on the price of gas, but not in Washington.

The average price for gas in Washington state is at $4.20
a gallon. Meanwhile, the national average price dropped 5
cents to $3.73.

The outages at BP Cherry Point and other refineries in the
Northwest have been cited as possible reasons for a
gasoline price hike, while gas prices are going down
elsewhere.

“You had two major refineries that feed your area with
problems and that kept your prices up while places in the
Midwest and other parts of the country have fallen pretty
dramatically,” said oil industry analyst Phil Flynn, in an
appearance on 97.3 KIRO FM Seattle’s Morning News.

The BP Cherry Point refinery is the third-largest on the
West Coast. It produces 20 percent of Washington’s
gasoline needs and it supplies the majority of jet fuel
for Sea-Tac, Portland and Vancouver, British Columbia,
airports. It has been shut down since a February fire,
but BP is in the process of restarting operations.

Spokesman Michael Abendhoff told The Bellingham Herald it should be
fully operational by the end of May.

“The good news is that once those refineries get back on
line, prices in your area should continue to fall,” said
Flynn. “I would expect once those refineries get back on
line, you’ll see a drop in the area of 12 to 15 percent.”

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor
The
Associated Press contributed to this report.