Almost everyone has been looking forward to the return of summertime in Michigan, but not looking forward to those summertime gas prices. It the official start of summer blend.
We use different gas in the summer that actually costs more to produce because it burns cleaner and reduces pollution. That raises costs at the refinery which gets passed on to customers. The summer blend isn't a requirement here in Mid-Michigan, but it is required in the Detroit area.
The bulk of the price increase happens there, but the entire state will feel it at some point. The Michigan Petroleum Association said customers can hope for relief when gas stations have price wars.
"In Mid-Michigan, in St. Johns and Charlotte, they often have price wars. Small community, but they are battling out for those customers to stop at those stations,"Mark Griffin, President of the Michigan Petroleum Association said.
The American Petroleum Institute said Michigan has the fifth-highest gas prices in the nation. Gasbuddy.com said the average price in the Lansing area is $2.55 per gallon and rising.
