Travel experts say the same storms that slammed western Wisconsin and Minnesota also hit refineries to the south, causing unscheduled problems.
“So what that did was just lowered the amount of fuel in the Midwest, causing the Midwest, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois all those states to go up in price,” said Brent Dabler, AAA agent. “While the rest of the United States, were going down in price.”
In fact, most of the country is seeing better than average prices.
“This week and in the whole month of April as well, were the lowest prices in over three years,” said Dabler.
Experts say they expect prices to drop back down by the start of the summer travel season.
http://www.waow.com/story/22213109/2013/05/09/gas-prices-jump-across-the-midwest
May 09, 2013
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Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) shut all operating units at the 238,000-barrel-a-day Joliet refinery on April 14 for several weeks of planned work. BP Plc (BP/) idled an alkylation unit at its Toledo, Ohio, plant for planned repairs, while crews at the Whiting, Indiana, refinery are replacing equipment. The two plants make up a combined capacity of 580,000 barrels a day.
CVR Energy Inc. (CVI)’s Wynnewood site in Oklahoma is operating at reduced rates after an unexpected malfunction in late April.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-09/midwest-gas-soars-to-5-month-high-as-stockpiles-tumble.html
May 9, 2013