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Oil prices fell this week as the United States and international partners took steps to meet global oil demand.

Stacker compiled statistics on gas prices in Des Moines, IA metro area using data from AAA. Gas prices are current as of March 31. State gas tax data is from World Population Review. Three states—Connecticut, Georgia, and Maryland—temporarily suspended gas taxes to defray costs for consumers while prices are up.

The Biden administration announced March 31 that it will order the release of an unprecedented 1 million barrels of oil each day for six months from the country’s strategic petroleum supply to lower gas prices.

In an effort to incentivize domestic oil companies to increase production, the White House called on Congress to approve “use-it-or-lose-it” fees. Companies on leased wells or public land that haven’t been used for production in years will be forced to pay fees under the proposed policy.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies met March 31 and confirmed a 432,000-barrels-per-day increase in oil production beginning in May.

Des Moines by the numbers

• Current price: $3.88
• Iowa average: $3.89
• Iowa gas tax: $0.30 per gallon (#21 highest among all states)
• Week change: +$0.08 (+2.2%)
• Year change: +$1.09 (+39.1%)
• Historical expensive gas price: $4.05 (7/16/08)

Metros with the most expensive gas

1. San Luis Obispo-Atascadero-Paso Robles, CA: $6.06
2. Los Angeles-Long Beach, CA: $6.04
3. Ventura, CA: $6.02

Metros with the least expensive gas

1. Amarillo, TX: $3.56
2. Joplin, MO: $3.61
3. Lawton, OK: $3.62

States with the highest gas tax per gallon

1. Pennsylvania: $0.59
2. California: $0.53
3. Washington: $0.52

States with the lowest gas tax per gallon

1. Alaska: $0.0895
2. Hawaii: $0.16
3. Virginia: $0.162

You may also like: Where people in Des Moines are moving to most

This article has been re-published pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.