Grand Canyon Times

Gas prices have not dropped nationwide in the past month, and according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), prices have risen 36 cents per gallon the past 30 days.

According to a release by AAA, the national average is $4.60 per gallon, a number that has stayed flat or risen each day since April 24, setting a new record each day since May 10. Gas is over $4 per gallon in all 50 states for the first time in history.

In Arizona, gas prices have risen 10 cents in the past week and 36 cents in a month, reaching an average of $4.91, one of the highest averages in the nation.

To stem the rising tide of gas prices, President Joe Biden announced on March 31 that the U.S. would release up to 180 million barrels of crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve over a six-months span. Biden said that even though the price drop would be delayed over the first days or weeks, prices could drop. "It could come down (to) a better part of anything from 10 cents to 35 cents a gallon,” he said. “It’s unknown at this point.”

As of May 24, however, the national average is $4.60 per gallon, which is up 11.7% from the $4.12 average a month ago. On March 31, when Biden announced the release from reserves, gas was $4.22 per gallon, 38 cents cheaper than than today, according to AAA data.

According to CNN, Biden has also laid out plans to replenish the crude oil supply, starting with the purchase of 60 million barrels. That was expected to cover a third of the supply from the release announced in March and could take years, according to the U.S.Department of Energy.

So far, Biden has not made any official plans of increasing domestic oil production, CNN said.

AAA has reported that Energy Information Administration (EIA) numbers show that domestic gasoline stocks have decreased by 4.8 million BBL (barrels) to 220.2 million last week. At the same time, demand for gas has increased from 8.7 million barrels per day to 9 million during the same period. The decrease in supply and increased demand, coupled with volatile crude prices, will keep pushing prices upward, AAA reported.