Wyoming motorists are enjoying some relief at the pump in advance of a statewide fuel tax increase scheduled to take effect next Monday.

Patrick DeHaan with GasBuddy.com says the statewide average for a gallon of regular unleaded fell about a penny to $3.54 per gallon last week.

“Wyoming is finally joining the downward trend that the national average has seen for the last couple of weeks – in fact, some areas in Casper have dipped below $3.00 per gallon already,” DeHaan said. “This is coming just ahead of the first increase in Wyoming’s fuel tax in 15 years.”

DeHaan says, next week, motorists should expect to see the increased fuel tax passed on to the consumer immediately.

“(Gas stations) have no room to digest (the tax increase) themselves,” DeHaan said. “So, like most gasoline taxes, it’ll be paid for by motorists and not the gas stations themselves.”

DeHaan says the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded fell nearly four cents to $3.57 per gallon last week.

Gov. Matt Mead signed the bill increasing Wyoming’s state fuel tax by a dime a gallon in February. The tax is expected to raise $70 million a year for road and highway projects.

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