Gas prices at a number of North State stations have now dropped below four-dollars a gallon. And the trend is expected to continue at least well into January, when prices could fall as low as three to three-fifty. Patrick de Haan, with GasBuddy dot-com, says a major factor is Governor Newsom directing the California Air Resources Board to take whatever steps are necessary for refineries to convert to winter blend production. It’s not as clean as the summer blend, but it easier and cheaper to make…

click to listen to Patrick de Haan

Refineries in California are also no longer shut down for various seasonal maintenance. De Haan is downplaying recession fears, which have greatly reduced oil prices in the past. But he says another spike in COVID cases in China may be more important…

click to listen to Patrick de Haan

Meanwhile, Nevada County, as of Monday, had the fifth-highest average gas price among the state’s 58 counties, at 5-05 a gallon. That’s 50-cents more than neighboring Placer County. Mono County is the most expensive, at 5-87, followed by Lassen, Trinity, and San Luis Obispo counties.