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· collected 2026-09-07 · by Jeffrey Collins The Associated Press
The national average price of regular gas in the US has reached a record high of $4.14 per gallon ahead of the Labor Day weekend, driven by disruptions in crude oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz following the Iran War and refinery issues at home. According to AAA, this is nearly $1 higher than last year's price and surpasses the previous Labor Day weekend record of $3.82 set in 2012. The US Energy Secretary acknowledges that prices are currently higher than they were during Labor Day 2025, but expresses confidence that market forecasts indicate a decline in gas prices in the coming months. Meanwhile, experts attribute the high gas prices to a combination of factors, including refinery issues due to harsh weather conditions and declining output from Chinese refiners.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Millions of American travelers are facing higher gas prices and airfare this Labor Day weekend due to disruptions related to the Iran war and other conflicts. The average price of regular gas has reached a record high of $4.14 per gallon, nearly $1 more than last year and significantly higher than the previous Labor Day weekend record of $3.82 from 2012. The increase in gas prices is attributed to the U.S. and Israel's attack on Iran in February, which has led to a significant decrease in crude oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. This disruption has caused energy costs to skyrocket, making it more expensive for consumers to fill up their tanks and take long trips. As a result, many people are canceling or postponing their weekend travel plans due to the high cost of gas.
Written for “High Gas Prices Over Labor Weekend” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
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The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 6485 (medium confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-07
It’s never been more expensive in the U.S. to fill up the tank and take one last summer trip over the Labor Day weekend.
asserted
It → fill → weekend
The average price of regular gas was $4.14 a gallon heading into the holiday, nearly a dollar higher than last year and well above the Labor Day weekend record of $3.82 from 2012, according to AAA motor club.
Nicole Collins planned to head from Philadelphia to South Carolina to visit friends, but she said her family has spent most of the summer close to home and not taking their typical weekend trips because driving has gotten so expensive.
uncertain
driving → head → trips
It doesn’t help that we also have a baby, so we also have to pay for that,” Collins said outside a gas station in Claymont, Delaware, where regular gas was $4.199 a gallon.
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gas → help → Claymont
Prices shot up after the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in February and have not settled down since.
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U.S. → shoot → February
Crude oil traffic through the key Strait of Hormuz has plunged, and Iran has refused to reopen the waterway.
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Iran → plunge → waterway
“Everything points to the Iran War and the Strait of Hormuz,” said Tom Seng, a professor of energy finance at Texas Christian University.
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Seng → point → University
Energy Secretary Chris Wright offered few specifics on when the nation’s drivers might see relief at the gas pump, acknowledging that prices are higher now than Labor Day 2025.
uncertain
prices → offer → Day
“Yes, they’re higher today, but we’re doing everything we can to push them down,” Wright said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”
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Wright → ’re → Week
The national average for regular gas prices is still well below the record of $5.02 a gallon set in June 2022.
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average → set → June
Trucks and other freight delivery systems use a lot of diesel, and that increased transportation cost is being passed on to consumers, whether at the grocery store or through package delivery services.
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cost → use → services
“It doesn’t really seem like there’s an end to it,” Collins said.
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Collins → seem → it
Gas prices typically drop as the summer driving season ends and refineries turn to making a cheaper winter blend.
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refineries → drop → blend
But Seng said there are other factors this year even beyond the volatile situation in the Middle East that make future prices unpredictable.
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prices → say → East
U.S. refineries are working at 98% capacity, many in the unusually harsh Texas heat.
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refineries → work → heat
If there are problems there or a hurricane knocks some systems offline, prices will struggle to drop.
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prices → be → systems
And it’s not just a Middle East problem.
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it → ’ → ?
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian refineries are squeezing diesel supplies.
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attacks → squeeze → supplies
Chinese refiners are seeing declining outputs as well, said Matthew Metzgar, a clinical professor of economics at UNC Charlotte.
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Metzgar → see → Charlotte
“There’s just less gasoline coming out of those refineries,” Metzgar said.
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Metzgar → ’ → refineries
Wright, the energy secretary, said the Trump administration was taking steps to increase production and that the markets forecast lower prices in the coming months.
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markets → say → months
“If you look at the futures prices, if you wanted to buy today in bulk gasoline for two months out in November, it’s about $0.35 cheaper than it is today.
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it → look → November
So the marketplace thinks gasoline prices are going to move meaningfully lower,” he said.
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he → think → ?
Geopolitically, though, there is little a driver can do to knock down gas prices.
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driver → be → prices
But using price apps can help save a little money, especially on long trips where gas by the interstate could be 10 to 15 cents per gallon more expensive than at stations a short drive down the road, Metzgar said.
uncertain
Metzgar → use → road
_
Associated Press videojournalist Mingson Lau and reporter Gary Fields contributed.
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Lau → contribute → ?
