PIERCE COUNTY, Wash. — President Joe Biden announced Thursday that he is releasing millions of barrels of oil from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve and plans to take steps to pressure oil companies to increase supply.
With the announcement, drivers in the South Sound told KIRO 7 that they are looking forward to getting some relief at the pumps after prices surged due to the U.S. and its allies imposing sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
In Washington state, the average gas price is $4.72 per gallon, according to the American Automobile Association.
On Thursday, a KIRO 7 crew saw $4.69 at a Shell station in Fife on 54th Avenue East and 20th Street, and across the street at a Chevron, the price was $4.89. At the 76 station, the price was a welcome bargain of $4.03.
Right now, the prices are a sticker shock for nearly everyone. However, the president said his plan will bring relief for the next six months.
KIRO 7 spoke with a father and son after filling up their gas tank at a South Sound station and they reacted with applause and laughter after paying $47.47 for a full tank.
“My guess is we will see it come down, continue to come down but how far down I don’t think anyone can tell,” the president said during a White House briefing.
“The bottom line is our industry is working hard to produce that energy, to gear up production, to get permits out of the government,” said Kevin Slagle with the Western States Petroleum Association, which represents companies in the oil industry.
Slagle told KIRO 7 that production has never been greater in the U.S. and that companies are pumping from 100,000 sites they are leasing for production.
AAA said the Pierce County average gas price is $4.77 per gallon, which is above the state average of $4.72 and well above the national average of $4.22.