Since the conflict in Iran, and more specifically, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, gas prices are rising worldwide, with Washington seeing some of the highest prices in the United States due to the state’s refinery constraints and high taxes.

Right now, the Lake Stevens community, along with the rest of the United States, is watching its gas prices rise by the week. With the national average for regular gas being $4.11 per gallon and Washington’s average being $5.06 per gallon, students have to pay a heavy price for the comfort of private transportation.

“It’s way too expensive for like, for like, people who live on their own, because if you want to get gas, we’re going to have to, like, pay arm and a leg for it. It’s like, $100 for a full tank,” sophomore Sawyer Jensen said.

A big player in determining gas prices is the price of crude oil. Oil prices have recently gone over the $100 per barrel mark due to the conflict in Iran and Iran’s blocking of the Strait of Hormuz, making some of the largest exporters of crude oil unable to export their oil to the rest of the world. That’s about twenty percent of the world’s oil that’s stuck there because ships are at risk of being struck by Iranian rockets at the Strait of Hormuz, which is causing the price of oil to skyrocket.

“Me, personally, I believe it’s the war in Iran that’s causing all these problems in gas, but I just believe it’s just wars in general that are just causing all the gas prices to go up,” sophomore Lucas Layson said.

Washington also has a limited capacity to refine crude oil into gasoline; we have five refineries: Cherry Point refinery, Puget Sound refinery, Marathon Anacortes refinery, Ferndale refinery and U.S. Oil refinery. All of these refineries have a combined capacity of 637,700 barrels per day, which is enough to meet demand in most cases, but is still vulnerable to shortages. And during peak travel season, like summer, gas prices will increase as a result of the limited supply and higher demand due to people traveling more.

“I’m just trying to drive less. I think about, like, whether or not it’s worth it to go there?” sophomore Cruz Wilbanks said.

Many students at LSHS rely on their own cars to get themselves to school, jobs and other activities. Higher gas prices are causing students to make difficult decisions on spending their money. Some students are adjusting to the high gas prices by trying not to drive as much overall or by looking for alternative ways to get around.

Apart from global conflicts, factors such as high taxes, limited refinery capacity and increased demand during travel seasons are all reasons why Washington gas prices are some of the highest in the country. Washington is home to some of the highest gas taxes in the country, at about 55 cents per gallon. The tax is the primary revenue source for sustaining Washington’s transportation system.

“We keep passing things that keep taxing us on gas more and more, so the policymakers who make these things and then get the people to vote for them is part of the problem,” sophomore Jacob Martin said.