The Story Behind US Gas Price Pain

mining.com  h/t Instapundit

• With production up and demand down, the basics of supply and demand indicate that oil prices should be falling. Americans should be paying less at the pump.
• What gives? 
• Two main forces are driving fuel prices upward in the United States: high global oil prices and the state of the US oil transportation and refining industry.
• The system’s disconnectedness means that refiners in different regions are forced to pay whatever the price may be for the crude oil they can access – and those prices differ significantly.
• As for high oil prices in general, the biggest question there is Iran.

Some pay a premium, others get a discount.  The difference in prices are as much as 40%.  But it is regional.