SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Even though gas prices were slightly lower in San Diego County Thursday, experts say all of this will likely change in the coming weeks and could impact how much you pay for holiday travel.
OPEC Plus, which is a group of oil producing nations led by Russia and Saudi Arabia, is cutting production by 2 million barrels per day to boost prices.
That small reduction could lead to big increases in energy costs, including for gas and home heating. Experts predict this could mean an increase of 10 to 30 cents a gallon.
While the average cost of regular gas across the country is $3.86, here in California, it's at $6.42. That's up more than a dollar compared to a month ago.
Juan Ramirez , a driver says, “ It’s unpredictable every week,” says Juan Ramirez, a driver in the San Diego area.
“It’s making me think I should be taking my bike to work,” Rudy Vargas, another San Diego local, says.
Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom commented about the high gas prices in California, tweeting, “oil companies are ripping you off.”
But several energy experts disagree.
Mark Agerton, an assistant professor at UC Davis focusing on energy and resource economics, says California is in a unique situation because the state has a special blend of gasoline meant to reduce local air pollution from cars. That special blend is mandated by the Air Resources Board.
"Not a lot of places make that kind of gasoline, so because of that, our import options are really limited to kind of help offset this shortage," Agerton says.
This is one of the major factors why experts believe holiday travel plans will be more expensive. Thanksgiving flights are already averaging $281 roundtrip, which is a 25% increase from last year.
So, experts suggest making your holiday plans earlier, and booking your flights in the next two weeks.
