(Photo: WBOC)DOVER, Del.- The end of summer usually signals a drop in gas prices but AAA says refinery upgrades in the Midwest and the threat of hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico is slowing production and raising prices.
Marcus Hammond works for All About Lawns and says the rise in gas prices has forced his bosses to make a lot of changes.
"Between raising prices and cutting back on employees, we used to have five people total working, now we have four so it's really killing us," he said.
According to AAA, the average price for an unleaded gallon of regular in Delaware has gone up 7 cents since Labor Day.
The increase in prices are being attributed to two refineries in the Midwest going through partial shutdowns for upgrades, and hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico.
The higher price may not be forcing everyone to drive less yet but Kim Ecker and her husband are riding their motorcycle more, instead of filling up their diesel truck.
"Diesel prices are really really bad," she said. "We have a diesel truck so that's a big difference."
AAA said prices are also being affected by the transition to winter blend gasoline. Winter blend gasoline is less expensive but can cause hiccups for refineries making the transition.
The requirement for summer blend gasoline expires Sept. 15.
