COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Drivers in Coldwater are facing a severe squeeze at the pump as gas prices in Branch County spiked to $4.99 per gallon this week. This rapid surge follows an unplanned power outage at BP’s Whiting refinery in northwest Indiana—the largest facility serving the Great Lakes region—which abruptly choked off local fuel supplies.
These drivers we spoke to say they are frustrated
The refinery crisis is compounding a broader global energy shock driven by the ongoing war in Iran, which has pushed crude oil prices to a four-year high peaking at over $125 per barrel overnight though they have fallen back a bit today today.
Geopolitical tensions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have already caused national averages to climb over 40% since February, but the Midwest is being “walloped” particularly hard due to the combination of these international conflicts and local infrastructure failures.
Gas Buddy analyst Patrick De Haan says we could see prices creep even higher over the next days and weeks
Most drivers we spoke with say they are being forced to combine errands and cut back on non-essential travel to cope with the rising costs.
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