TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Gas prices on the rise are taking a hit on local motorists’ wallets, and experts say that lingering national supply chain issues and the threat of hostility on the Russia-Ukraine border could cause gas prices to rise.
With so much global and national uncertainty, drivers could soon have to pay more at the pump.
“I would not be surprised to see gas prices spike for some period of time,” IUPUI Political Science professor Scott Pegg said.
Pegg said that uncertainty in Ukraine could cause gas prices to rise.
“Because oil and gas are global markets, it’s certainly quite plausible we could see some spillover effects here in the United States and here in Indiana,” Pegg said.
Local driver Johnny Swalls said he drives daily in his pickup truck and that he spends upwards of $75 to fill his tank.
“We’ve got to get places so we’ve got to buy gas,” Swalls said. “Everybody feels the crunch, but I drive a lot of miles so you just got to get used to paying this $78 to fill up.”
Swalls added that despite high prices, gas is still a necessary resource to travel.
“Well, it’s not painful, it just seems like your wasting money to pay that much for gas,” he said. “But it’s just something you’ve got to have to get to one place or another.”
BP store manager Melissa Hooker said she expects to see more drivers at the pump to avoid even higher prices in the future.
“Since gas prices have started going up they’re filling up quite a bit, a lot of people are talking about gas prices going up and they’re filling up,” she said.
Pegg said that continued supply chain issues could also play a role in high prices moving forward.
“It could be here for a while,” he said. “Demand has recovered and supply has not recovered to meet the demand is the basic dynamic.”
Pegg said there is no timetable for when you can expect gas prices to drop.
