With gas prices surging in New York City, AAA says restricting Russian oil could drive prices even higher
NEW YORK -- Driver across New York City are feeling the squeeze as the war overseas sends gas prices skyrocketing.
The price for a gallon of gas is averaging $4.05, the most since 2014, CBS2's Kiran Dhillon reported Friday.
"It is ridiculous. It is ridiculous, the price. Everything is going up," one person said.
The price for one gallon has jumped around 20 cents in the past few days at one Staten Island gas station.
"The price these days is crazy now. It's going up like every two, three days," said manager Mobul Syed Ali.
The war in Ukraine is being blamed for the latest spike. AAA expects the price of gas to continue to surge, especially if restrictions are placed on Russian oil.
"Russia is a major oil producer. They produce upwards of 10 million barrels per day," said AAA Northeast's Robert Sinclair Jr. "If something were to actually happen to curtail the use of that oil, well we'd have to get it from somewhere else. That would make that commodity even more valuable and send the price even higher."
Republican U.S. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis called on President Biden to ramp up energy production to help curb the spike.
"We have the capability to do so and could provide immediate relief for families. We should be looking at opportunities to increase the supply," Malliotakis said.
"We need to become self-sufficient and it is a matter of our national security and it's a matter of economics for American families," Malliotakis added.
AAA said flooding the market with crude oil in the U.S. won't have a huge impact on the globally priced commodity, adding restricting the use of more costly summer blends of gasoline might be the better way to go.
Still, drivers said they're desperate for relief.
"It's a disappointment, end of the month you have to cut your budget somewhere else," one person said.
Many drivers told CBS2 they may have to start limiting how much they drive if the price of gas doesn't go down.
According to AAA, the highest recorded price of gas per gallon in New York City was $4.41 in 2008.