Chicago’s average gas price has jumped nearly 70 cents per gallon in the last four weeks, with diesel prices now topping $6 a gallon in some areas, according to GasBuddy. Experts say refinery issues, global tensions and taxes are all contributing to the spike.
For civil worker Junior Lopez, the higher costs are hitting both his business and family budget.
“We usually do diesel vehicles,” Lopez said. “Diesel skyrocketed. Now it’s at a point where it’s twice as much as we used to pay when we started.”
Lopez has spent more than 20 years installing communications infrastructure and says fuel costs are now changing how crews operate on the road.
“We have to stop a couple more times for diesel when we’re traveling,” he said. “It chews up on the time as well.”
He says a few years ago diesel cost around $3 a gallon. Now, he says, prices are often well above $6 a gallon.
The rising prices pushed Lopez to make a major change at home—switching his family vehicle to an electric car.
“We switched to electric for the same reason,” Lopez said. “I wasn’t going to deal with the gas prices or diesel prices, and I’m paying a fraction of what I pay for gas and diesel.”
Now, some drivers are hoping for relief after President Donald Trump floated the possibility of suspending the federal gas tax.
An NBC News analysis found the federal gas tax accounts for about 18 cents per gallon nationwide. Combined state and federal taxes average about 51 cents per gallon.
But GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan says even if Congress approves suspending the federal gas tax, global oil prices could still keep costs elevated.
“The suspension of which would have to be done by Congress,” De Haan said. “The President does not have the power to implement this on his own.”
De Haan says the ongoing situation involving Iran and the Strait of Hormuz is also driving up oil prices worldwide.
“If the strait reopens, it likely would start to push prices lower within a matter of days,” he said. “But it may take beyond six to 12 months for gas prices to go back to their pre-war level.”
For now, experts say drivers looking for cheaper gas may want to head outside Illinois. De Haan says some stations in northwest Indiana are selling gas for under $4 a gallon after Indiana temporarily waived some fuel taxes. Wisconsin prices are also running significantly lower than Chicago-area prices.
