Gas Prices

Are high U.S. gas prices in 2022 related to closed pipelines? No, that's not true: The high gas prices in 2022 are mostly attributed to the price of crude oil, along with global economics and world affairs. There is no evidence that closed pipelines have dramatically affected gas prices in 2022. Although President Joe Biden blocked the rest of the…

Does this post lead senior citizens to accurate information about how to obtain free food from the government without it affecting their food stamps or other benefits? No, that's not true: The website linked in this Facebook post leads users to a third-party health insurance agency that is not affiliated with the United States government or the federal Medicare program.…

Did President Joe Biden suck the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) dry -- and all for only a $.014 decrease in the price at the pump? No, that's not true: This meme is based on two false suggestions: that Biden's plan has exhausted the nation's SPR, and that the price per gallon reduction from Biden's plan has already been realized…

Is there a national boycott of gasoline on April 15, 2022, to emulate a successful national protest from April 1997? No, that's not true: A post making that claim is a recycled post - "copypasta" that has circulated in various iterations online since at least 2004, with a new date slapped on it. Except for the date, wording in the…

Did President Joe Biden's wartime ban on Russian oil imports cause the cost of gasoline to skyrocket and would completing the XL branch of the Keystone pipeline bring prices down? No, that's not true: Oil market experts and economists say the Russia ban is not the only driver of gas prices and bringing the XL section online would not guarantee…

Do the prices for oil and gas always move in tandem? No, that's not true: Although the two closely track each other, there is often a time lag. That's especially true when oil prices fall; historically, it takes a while for gas prices to catch up by going down. There are various explanations for the lag, including the fact that…

Did big fuel companies sell gas and diesel at low prices in protest against the government on March 16, 2022? No, that's not true: On March 16, 2022, the national average prices for regular gas and diesel exceeded $4 and $5, respectively. The claim that such a protest occurred was satirical. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here)…

Do low Russian gasoline prices prove U.S. sanctions aren't hurting their economy? No, that's not true: As sanctions by the United States and other Western nations took hold in the weeks following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, gas prices rose in the U.S., but the value of the ruble plunged by about 30%. That eats into Russians' purchasing power, which…

Were gas prices $9 a gallon at a Los Angeles gas station? No, that's not true: The image being used in social media posts is from a gas station in Stockton, California and not Los Angeles. But more importantly, the board showed a $9 (and up) price for all three unleaded levels plus diesel fuel only briefly when the sign…

Did the price of regular gas reach a national average of $1.87 per gallon during February 2021? No, that's not true: While individual gas station prices always vary, the national average of regular gas prices during February 2021 never went lower than $2.00 per gallon. At the time of writing, the last time the national average gas price reached anywhere…