High Millerton gas prices outlier in the region

MILLERTON — All across the country, inflation has taken hold and prices are on the rise for basic necessities — including gasoline.

According to AAA, as of Sunday, Dec. 8, the national average per gallon of regular unleaded was slightly over $3.00, but at the Cumberland Farms station on Main Street in Millerton, a gallon sold for $3.29, cash or credit, the lowest list price for regular unleaded gasoline at the station for users without a SmartPay account. SmartPay lowers prices by ten cents per gallon to $3.19.

Gasoline prices at Cumberland were listed at $3.36 per gallon the previous week. While the price drop is undoubtedly welcome news to customers, local gas rates still remain high. Drivers in the village spend $3.80 more on 20 gallons of gasoline than the national average. Other gas stations in the region, while also listing over the national average, are priced lower than Cumberland Farms and Gulf in Millerton.

The Millerton Gulf station, located a few doors down from Cumberland on Route 44, featured a price of $3.24 per gallon for regular unleaded, a bit lower than Cumberland, but still higher than the national average. A little further away, the Shell station in Amenia on Route 44 sold regular unleaded for $3.09 per gallon, Sunday afternoon, Dec. 8. Along similar pricing lines, the Gulf station in Hillsdale on Route 23 in Columbia County listed their lowest rate at $3.17 per gallon. The Gulf station in Mabbettsville on Route 44 had the lowest rate in the region at $3.05 per gallon.

What this means for area residents is that while lower pricing is to be found in northeast Dutchess, due to the distance between most stations drivers have to burn more gas to access lower prices.

For Lisa Cope, town clerk of Millerton, it’s worth the trip. “I go to Hudson and gas up,” Cope said. According to GasBuddy, prices in Hudson range between $2.78 and $3.29 per gallon.

Millerton mayor Jenn Najdek said she generally uses less gas and isn’t as impacted as others. “It does seem we are a little higher than most, “ Najdek said. “But I mostly bounce around the village.” Najdek did speculate that perhaps local prices are higher due to proximity to Connecticut, but a visit to the Shell station in nearby Sharon, Connecticut, revealed gas rates closer to the national average. Sunday, unleaded was $2.98 per gallon, just under the national average. Last week, the price was listed at $3.09.

For those who are able to gas up in southern Dutchess, pricing can be found below the national average at Citgo on Route 52 in Fishkill listing at $2.81 a gallon, while the Gulf on Route 9 in Fishkill featured pricing along similar lines, give or take a few cents, according to GasBuddy. Further south in the affluent village of Cold Spring in Putnam County, pricing is also below the national average with Sunoco on Route 9 offering a rate of $2.99 per gallon.

Robert Sinclair, senior manager of public affairs for AAA’s northeast division, said a variety of factors, including the venue and the season, influence pricing. “Where demand is high and the competition scarce, like along highways, prices are always higher,” Sinclair said. “At locations where there are lots of stations competing with each other, prices tend to be lower. In a phenomenon known as ‘zone pricing,’ gasoline of the same brand and same grade (regular, mid grade, premium) can cost 20 to 30 cents more or less at stations just a mile or so from each other.”

Sinclair also said gasoline prices tend to be more expensive in wealthier areas, which may account for higher local prices in Millerton, Amenia and Millbrook. This doesn’t, however, explain Sunoco station pricing at Cold Spring, the Gulf Station in Garrison, which is priced at $3.09 a gallon, or even certain affluent areas on Long Island, such as New Hyde Park or Manhasset, which run on par with — or are lower — than the national average.

Proximity to a body of water accounts for many of the downstate rates. “Most of the gasoline going there travels by barge and unloads at waterside terminals, one in Nassau County on Jamaica Bay, the other farther east on the south shore,” Sinclair said. “From those terminals, tanker trucks travel a relatively short distance to local retailers.”

Sinclair also said local taxes factor into final pricing, as well as the brand. “The major brands usually charge more,” Sinclair said, while “off-brands” have lower prices because they sell on something called the spot market. The spot market is an open market of tankers and storage facilities full of gasoline that’s not destined for any particular gas station and purchased by independents. Big box stores that also sell gasoline generally buy their gas on the spot market.

While Millerton residents lack proximity to big box stores, with the aid of websites like GasBuddy and stations with more competitive price points, there are options at the pump. Some relief can be found seasonally, as fewer take to the road during winter. Regardless, gasoline remains a necessity for travel in northern Dutchess, an expenditure most residents can’t get around.