Gas prices drop below $3 a gallon in Honolulu

Honolulu’s average gas price dropped below $3 a gallon and the state average for a gallon of regular gas is less than the price in California, according to the AAA Hawaii Weekend Gas Watch.

The Hawaii state average gas is $3.09 a gallon, the same as last week, five cents less than last month and $1.20 a gallon lower than a year ago.

In California, the price for a gallon of regular gas is $3.13, a drop of about 5 cents from last week.

Honolulu’s average gas price is $2.97, 7 cents less than last week, 8 cents lower from last month and $1.27 a gallon less than a year ago. In Hilo, the average gas price is $3.09 per gallon, unchanged from last week, three cents more than last month and $1.02 less than this time a year ago.  Wailuku’s average is $3.24, unchanged from last week, 11 cents higher than last month and $1.12 less on this date last year.  

"Around the country average gas prices continue to drop.  California remains the only other state with a gas price average higher than $3," said AAA Hawaii General Manager Liane Sumida in a news release.

In California, a Martinez refinery idled by Tesoro Corp. in February in response to a nationwide worker strike is back online. Exxon Mobil Corp. said it is working to resume full production at its Torrance refinery, which was rocked by an explosion in its pollution-controlling equipment in February.

A combination of environmental regulations, a new cap-and-trade rule, taxes and fees are also keeping retail gasoline prices in California about 30 cents to 40 cents higher than the nationwide average. Before the refinery explosion and strike, California gas prices had followed the national trend of decreases.

The government is predicting that an ongoing glut of crude oil will give U.S. drivers the lowest seasonal gasoline prices in six years this summer.

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The Los Angeles Times contributed to this story.