近距离内射合集

As Las Cruces resident Angelina Powell watched the digits flicker at an Albuquerque pump last week, she couldn鈥檛 help but ponder the days when gas prices were below $1 per gallon. Her father used to drive across town to find rates pennies cheaper. 

鈥淗e鈥檇 go, 鈥業鈥檓 not paying 90 cents a gallon,鈥欌�� Powell said in a gruff voice with a laugh. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 bad,鈥� said Powell, who had to drive from Las Cruces to Albuquerque for a doctor鈥檚 appointment. 鈥淥ur lovely president has a lot to do with that, but I鈥檓 going to still drive and I鈥檓 going to still pay.鈥�

As of Wednesday, New Mexico鈥檚 per gallon was $3.84 鈥� less than the national average but up roughly a dollar from one month ago, largely as a result of the ongoing conflict in Iran. On Thursday, some stations in Albuquerque offered $3.99 a gallon.

Many New Mexicans the Journal spoke with blamed the high costs on the war, in line with what analysts say. The extent to which that 25% hike in the price of gas changed consumer behavior in New Mexico was striking. 

鈥淚鈥檝e been biking to work, actually,鈥� said Erin Jurkowski of Los Alamos. 鈥淏ecause of the gas prices.鈥�

Gas price increases hit New Mexicans especially hard compared to residents of other states. New Mexico is a state of commuters who drive long stretches of highway to and from work, with some  of public roads across the state. Less than 1% of 121,424 square miles in New Mexico are urban. The rest are rural. 

Even city driving takes its toll. 

Solomon Aguilar, who drives throughout the Albuquerque metro area for home health care provider Ambercare, said he is more thoroughly planning his routes to save on gas. While gas prices can鈥檛 keep him from doing his job, they did keep him and his family from going on a camping trip recently 鈥� deterred by how much it would cost to fill his truck.

鈥淕as prices are insane,鈥� he said. 

Alonso Cordova, a state employee who lives in Albuquerque and has a roughly 15-minute commute to work five days a week, said gas prices have him and his colleagues feeling the pressure.  

鈥淚t鈥檚 honestly becoming a financial strain just to get to work,鈥� Cordova said. 

The prices are eating up the 1% raise Cordova and his co-workers received this year, putting a damper on morale.

Patrick De Haan, petroleum analyst with GasBuddy, said New Mexico prices were up 97 cents a gallon from a month ago. 

鈥淲e鈥檝e never seen a four-week increase so significant,鈥� he said. 

He said until the U.S. or another country decides to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz 鈥� and until Iran stops its attacks 鈥� 鈥渨e鈥檙e going to keep going up up (and) up.鈥� Some 20 million barrels of oil, which pass through the Strait daily, are now unavailable on the global market while the number of buyers is unchanged, pushing up prices, he noted. 

鈥淵our neighbor Arizona just set an all-time record for the price of diesel,鈥� De Haan said. 鈥淎nd that is far more impactful to the U.S. economy. We鈥檙e going to see inflation rip if we keep going down this path.鈥� 

Gas prices are already impacting the restaurant industry in New Mexico, which largely relies on people driving out to eat. Bahjat Shariff, owner of Joe鈥檚 Pasta House in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, said his business is seeing a dip in spending, both on the consumer and business sides.

鈥淭his for sure (has) been difficult on everyone,鈥� Shariff said. 鈥淔olks (have) been spending less for sure. I have been spending less. We had to shave some expenses to get by.鈥� 

In a Wednesday evening to the nation on Operation Epic Fury, President Donald Trump said, 鈥淭he 近距离内射合集 States imports almost no oil through the Hormuz Strait and won鈥檛 be taking any in the future.鈥�

鈥淲e don鈥檛 need it,鈥� Trump said. 鈥淲e haven鈥檛 needed it, and we don鈥檛 need it. We鈥檝e beaten and completely decimated Iran. They are decimated both militarily and economically and in every other way. And the countries of the world that do receive oil through the Hormuz Straight must take care of that passage.鈥�

A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline at the Speedway off St. Francis Drive and Cerrillos Road in Santa Fe was going for nearly $3.82 on Wednesday. Jimmy Sosaya filled up his rusty 鈥�81 Ford truck, saying it still gets good mileage. But he has noticed the increase in gas prices. 

鈥淚鈥檝e noticed a lot,鈥� Sosaya said. 鈥淚 used to like to go for little rides and do stuff. But now, I鈥檓 limited to whatever鈥檚 necessary 鈥� to do my errands and back home again.鈥�

鈥淚 blame Trump for everything,鈥� he said. 

Trump campaigned that he would slow inflation, in part by bringing down energy prices. Sosaya said the opposite is happening during Trump鈥檚 second term. Sosaya said he thinks shipping costs for goods carried by semitrucks will increase. 

鈥淭he consumer ends up paying for everything,鈥� Sosaya said. 鈥淚t hurts us.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 just another burden on top of other rising prices,鈥� said Larry Metzger, a Santa Fe resident filling up the tank of his Toyota Prius for the third time since the Iran war began a month ago. 鈥淎nd it didn鈥檛 have to happen.鈥� 

The Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning think tank that researches income inequality, said in a released in late March that the effect of higher gas prices is being felt unevenly across the country. This is in part because 鈥渞esidents of some states purchase more gasoline because their populations are more dispersed, commutes are longer, transit service is sparser, and even the types of vehicles people own are different.鈥� 

The think tank鈥檚 report found that, if price increases are sustained, New Mexicans will pay an additional $44 per month for gas 鈥� $10 higher than the national average. Among all states in that regard, New Mexico is the fourth hardest hit.

Phil Alexander paid $76 for just over 14 gallons of diesel for his Winnebago at an Allsup鈥檚 station in Santa Fe. He was driving home 鈥� painfully, getting about 12 miles to the gallon 鈥� to Virginia from a visit to his mother鈥檚 in California. Alexander expressed relief at the $5 per gallon price New Mexico was offering on its diesel, lower than California and Arizona鈥檚 prices.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 really have a choice,鈥� Alexander said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things where you cut back on other expenses. Food and fuel are things that you can鈥檛 really cut back on.鈥�

The Tax Foundation, a right-leaning think tank, says that New Mexico, which charges consumers 18.9 cents per gallon, has the third-lowest tax rate on gasoline in the nation. The federal gasoline tax is 18.3 cents per gallon. 

The U.S. Energy Information Administration in November said the retail price of gas reflects four main components: 47% is the cost of crude oil; 16% is refining; 20% is distribution and marketing; and 17% is state and federal taxes. 

鈥淕asoline prices change frequently because crude oil, the largest component of gasoline prices, is traded in global markets where prices move daily based on supply, demand and geopolitical developments,鈥� the American Petroleum Institute says on its website. 

De Haan, the petro analyst, said New Mexico is somewhat insulated from price shocks because the state gets much of its oil from Texas and has a refinery. The Navajo refinery, which operates in Artesia in conjunction with a refining facility in Lovington, says on its website that it processes oil from the Permian Basin. With a capacity of 100,000 barrels a day, it serves markets in West Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. The refinery did not return a request for comment.

Antonio Mares, assistant manager at the Pojoaque Convenience Store, owned by Buffalo Thunder Resort and Casino, said gas stations typically only earn cents on the gallon, while the distributors 鈥済et the most money out of that deal.鈥� He said the station prices its gas based on what the distributors charge per barrel.

Sometimes, when oil price shocks hit, Mares sees fewer customers visiting the station, located in the Pojoaque Pueblo off U.S. 84.

鈥淏ut this time, we鈥檝e actually seen an increase in customers since the price hikes,鈥� he said. March was a banner month for sales, double from last year.

Mares said he is not sure exactly why sales are up. But Gilbert Anaya, who was filling up his vehicle outside, provided a clue. 

Anaya had driven north from Santa Fe to bowl. The convenience store in Pojoaque was charging nearly $3.60 a gallon, roughly 20 cents cheaper than in Anaya鈥檚 hometown. 

鈥淭hat鈥檚 why I waited to fill up here,鈥� Anaya said. 

Justin Horwath covers energy and tech for the Journal. You can reach him at jhorwath@abqjournal.com. Kylie Garcia covers retail and real estate for the Journal. You can reach her at kgarcia@abqjournal.com.