Gas prices across the country have dropped sharply in recent weeks and are down nearly 89 percent from a year ago nationwide. Some areas have reported prices at the pump as low as $1.50 per gallon. The same cannot be said in Chenango County.
While prices in the county’s outlying areas have kept pace with the national trend, stations in Norwich have been notably slower to drop prices. This has been a source of consternation for not only local residents, but also other area businesses.
For months, drivers in the Norwich vicinity have complained that prices at their local stations have remained higher than in other parts of Chenango County.
A user from The Evening Sun’s online forum (www.evesun.com) related their personal experience commuting between Hamilton and Greene. In the past, he said, gas was always cheaper in Norwich than stations in other communities along his route.
“In the last few months the roles have been reversed. Sherburne, Earlville, and Hamilton all have been 15 cents or more cheaper than Norwich, and today, Greene was 19 cents cheaper than Norwich,” he wrote.
The price shift has caused this driver to change his behavior, and other area businesses may be feeling the crunch because of it. “Other businesses are paying for it because people can now justify trips to places like Utica and Binghamton. I know we do.”
Maureen Carpenter, president and CEO of Commerce Chenango, said her office has received numerous phone calls about the price disparity between Norwich stations and others in the region.
“I even had a gentleman just stop in to ask why the price of gas is so high in Norwich and you can go to these small towns where there is little to no competition and pay [so much] less per gallon,” she said.
Carpenter’s concerns aren’t just that people are buying their gas elsewhere, but that they are shopping outside the area as well. She said she is worried about the potential impact this will have on local retailers already feeling the effects of the weak economy.
“The prices here in Norwich are driving people away,” said Carpenter, right into the arms of gas stations, grocery stores and retailers in other markets.
According to official energy statistics released by the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Agency, the nation’s gas prices hit a record high of $4.11 on July 7 of this year. They have been dropping steadily since then. The national average as of Monday, was $2.22. The price per gallon has dropped more than $1 in the past month alone.
A “Gas Temperature Map” on the website GasBuddy.com pegs Chenango County’s gas prices as in their highest category, over $2.57 a gallon. This is higher than even the EIA average for the New York City area, $2.37.
GasBuddy.com’s graphical depiction of U.S. gas prices by county identifies what areas of the country are paying higher prices than others. The chart illustrates that New York’s prices are among the highest in the nation. This is supported by EIA data from the beginning of this week which reported New York State’s average of $2.57 per gallon, higher than even California.