Region sees $6 a gallon gas for first time

Prices have been rising steadily since April, hovering around $5.73 a gallon a month ago, $4.13 a year ago

The average price of a gallon of regular-octane gasoline rose to $6 on Tuesday, a first for San Bernardino County.

Prices have been steadily rising since late April as the war in Ukraine has intensified and the price of crude oil has risen.

A month ago, prices in the county hovered around $5.73 a gallon. Go back a year, and prices were $4.13.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Feb. 24 “sent shock waves through the oil market that have kept oil costs elevated,” said Andrew Gross, an AAA national public relations manager.

The price of a barrel of brent crude was $113.42 Monday and has increased $16.58 since the invasion, up 17.1%. Brent is considered the international benchmark, accounting for approximately 80% of the world’s crude oil.

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County has increased $1.301 since the invasion, a 27.4% increase. Orange County’s average price has risen $1.293 since the invasion, a 27% increase.

The average price for gas on Tuesday in Riverside County was just two cents below the $6 record set in San Bernardino County and previously in Los Angeles and Orange counties.

Crude oil costs account for slightly more than half of the pump price, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The rest of the price includes the other components of gasoline: production costs; distribution costs; overhead costs for all involved in production, distribution and sales; taxes and carbon offset fees in California paid by the refineries.