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Data StoryColumbia resident, Daniel Tibon, wouldn’t mind an increase in gas prices if the money was going toward Columbia road repairs. Tibon was born and raised in Columbia, and he said he remembers when I-70 was being built and was still smooth to drive on. “I want to raise the price of gas so that the roads can be fixed,” Tibon said.There has been a steady rise in gas prices throughout the United States since the beginning of 2019. According to GasBuddy, gas prices were around $2.23 per gallon on January 10, and since, they have increased to around $2.83 on April 19. This is a 27 percent increase in just four months. On March 7, the lowest gas price in Missouri was $2.19 per gallon, and the average gas price was $2.62, according to GasBuddy. Boone County is below average and ranges from $2.54-$2.59 per gallon. Gas prices throughout Missouri tend to be consistent, but there is an increase when traveling toward bigger cities such as St. Louis and Kansas City. In comparison with the rest of the country, Missouri falls around the middle. On April 14, Alabama had the lowest average gas price at $2.49 per gallon, and California had the highest average gas price at $4.03 per gallon.According to , the U.S. Energy Information Administration said that the United States became the world’s largest crude oil producer in 2018. In mid-2018, crude oil prices rose to a record amount of $80 per barrel. Oil prices have fluctuated due to changes in supply. The United States achieved this by slowly increasing the supply of oil so that the price of oil could eventually be maintained. The steady prices pay for American exploration costs, which will allow America to become a net exporter by the end of 2019, according to .Consumers in Columbia have different opinions about the fluctuating gas prices. One wishes to raise the prices so that the extra money can be used to repair roads, another would like people to focus on driving energy efficient cars rather than the increasing prices and another is indifferent because gas is a necessity. Historically, gas prices in the United States have consistently fluctuated. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the average cost of national gas prices in April 1991 was $1.07 per gallon. They were highest in July 2008 at a price of $4.11 as a result of the Great Recession. According to GasBuddy, in the last three years, gas prices throughout the United States have changed tremendously. In 2016, they averaged $2.15, in 2017, they averaged $2.38 and in 2018 they averaged $2.84. So far in 2019, gas prices are still averaging $2.83.Boone County’s average gas prices have been lower than the national average for the last three years. In 2016, they averaged $1.84, in 2017, they averaged $2.27 and in 2018, they averaged $2.75. In April 2019, gas prices have risen to $2.83, which is consistent with the national gas price averages. Daniel Tibon, 62, wouldn’t mind a rise in gas prices, as long as the extra couple of cents were going toward Columbia road repairs. “The price of fuel should be raised for only one reason. Gas isn’t going to go anywhere, so use the money to fix the roads,” Tibon said.Tibon grew up around Columbia in West Lakes. He watched Interstate 70 being built and was a gas consumer when gas prices were as low as 17 cents. “I remember when I-70 was as smooth as glass all the way to St. Louis,” he said. Tibon bought a new Ford truck in August. The truck has tires that cost over $800, and he has to avoid potholes on Columbia roads so he does not damage his truck or the tires. “I avoid potholes like the plague,” Tibon said.Gas isn’t going to go away anytime soon, Tibon said, so Columbia’s city government should work to improve road issues, such as potholes and cracks. Other residents focus on the types of cars they drive, rather than the increase in gas prices. Katie Richardson, 34, said she would like people to be more concerned with the cars they are driving rather than the increases in gas prices.“I drive a more fuel-efficient vehicle. I think that more people should drive hybrids or electric cars, like my Toyota Prius, because it is better for the environment. It creates less of an impact on the environment,” Richardson said.To have less of an effect on the environment, Richardson said she tries to walk to as many places as possible.“I like to walk. When it’s good weather or less than a mile away, I’ll always walk. Automobile culture has made Americans so lazy,” Richardson said.Residents can also be indifferent despite the fact that they have to commute to work. Jan Iman, 59, has to fill her car up twice a week due to her 80-mile-roundtrip commutes.“I have to get gas regardless,” Iman said. ................
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