Bobseine Calls Out Gasoline Pricing

Chautauqua County residents have put up with higher gas prices than our surrounding neighbors for years. 

Assembly Candidate Mike Bobseine has asked New York State Attorney General Letitia James to investigate gasoline pricing in Chautauqua County, which is part of the 150th Assembly District.

Bobseine filed his request after studying gasoline prices throughout western New York and finding nearly identical higher prices in Chautauqua County as compared to surrounding counties.

“We have traveled the district extensively during our campaign and talked with consumers who complain about the consistently higher prices in our county,” said Bobseine.

“Gasoline prices in Chautauqua County are typically thirty cents more than gasoline prices in surrounding counties in our state.

“For example, the typical price for a gallon of gasoline in Jamestown, Dunkirk, Fredonia, Mayville, and Falconer is $3.70. In Erie County, the price per gallon in Gowanda and Springville is $3.40, $3.50 in Hamburg and Angola, and typically 30 cents cheaper in and around the City of Buffalo.

Our report shows that most of the gasoline sold in Chautauqua county is refined and supplied by a single refinery located in nearby Warren, PA. According to the American Petroleum Institute (API), gasoline pricing can be explained as a function of three elements, in addition to profits: the cost of crude oil, refining costs, and distribution and marketing costs. 

“Based upon the API’s simple formula and what we know and experience at the pumps, the higher retail gasoline prices in our county make no sense,” Bobseine said.

Bobseine provided a map and chart showing his price survey, which he also sent to the Attorney General together with his request for an investigation. The price survey indicates that over 86% of the highest-priced gas sold in Western New York is in Chautauqua County. 

“It’s time to get an explanation for the higher gas prices paid by our county’s consumers,” said Bobseine. “I’ve been asked the question repeatedly and our residents deserve an answer.”