Gasoline Prices

Refinery on St. Croix and uninterrupted oil supply yet our prices hover around $3.00 I dont get it. I know our great Senators probably dont mind since they fill up for free but you would think they would be raising holy hell for their constituents.

what are the prices on STX?

We are at about $2.20 and dropping.

Where is it lower than $2.25?

I believe that the high gas prices on St.Croix are due to two factors.
1: People on ST. Thomas were complaining that their prices were so much higher than on St. Croix. St.Tomians believe that since there is one of the largest oil refineries in the world in the U.S. Virgin Islands that the St.Tomians should not have to pay over inflated prices for gas. My opinion is that St.Thomas should get their own oil refinery. Cruzans have to put up with the extra heavy trafic,a large part of ST.Croix is taken up by an unsightly refinery, not to mention the poisionous gasses that are emitted by the large eye sore to poison the citizens of this island every day. So instead of lowering the price of gas on St.Thomas they just raised the price on St.Croix to compare with the high price of gas on St.Thomas. Cruzans deserve almost free gass.
2: The V.I Govornment recently recieved a large tax payment from Hovensa. Guess who is paying the $60 million. St.Croix. Thanks Charles Turnbul. Good thing the govornment can finaly pay their WAPA bill and give pay raises to the govornment emploies. All at the expence of gasoline on St.Croix.

Aaron, I suppose you are now a real Crucian by starting to sound like them. Very one sided. The gas prices on St Thomas and St Croix are not set by anyone but the wholesalers and retailers. Actually gas here is 50% higher than is St Croix. The Commisioner tried to regulate prices to no avail. He is about ready to come down on them again on all three islands to lower prices. St Thomas' gas does not come from St Croix. It should, is the argument, rather it comes from Puerto Rico. Most all of our stations over here are franchises of which you have hardly any of in St Croix. The gas stations in St Croix can sell for less as they get the gas directly from the disributor in St Croix and don't have to pay transportation costs as well as the franchise fees as the stations in St Thomas do plus the cost whatever those companies add to their gas to make it exclusive.
Taxes are paid on all islands. Hovensa does pay it's fair share but if you look at revenues coming in, you will see that it's pretty much equal for both islands.

RL

PS It's Crucian, Cruzan is a rum!
PPS. I am in St Croix often. I love St Croix. My great grandfather was born in Frederiksted. Whenever I am over there I always hear this, you St Thomians thing, and it is really annoying. I may say things to my Crucian friends about ST Croix in jest but when I am accosted in St Croix, they are serious and I can't seem to figure when it comes from. It's hard to figure out. Maybe you have figured it out? Enlighten me. Just curious. I have had people that have lived in St Croix for a short while come over to St Thomas and see that it's not like they were told it was in St Croix. I find St Croix no different that St Thomas at all. Even had a Danish historian try to break down his analysis on why the difference. His take was very interesting.

aaron,
I was on STX the last week of October. I didn't notice any oders from the refinery, even driving along the fence. I know how bad an oil refinery can be. Went to school on Staten Island '68-'72. There were mornings when the wind blew from the N.J. refineries that would burn your eyes and nose until the wind shifted.
I rreally don't know what you're complaining about unless it's a "Crucian thing".

Ronnie,
The gas prices on STX were only about 5 cents/gal. less than here in CT. We have some of the highest state taxes on gasoline. They are so high that retailers no longer post the amount of state and federal tax on the pump. On STX I noticed that you pay 14 cents federal tax. Is there any V.I. tax? If refining costs on STX are equal to the costs in the North East, why are gas prices as high as they are? Personally, I think that the oil companies are figuring out what the markets will bear and forget about the old margins that they used to operate with.

Just my 2 cents.

Bassman

Hi Ronnie.

As a consumer I am curious. I have always heard that St. Thomas gas comes from Puerto Rico rather than St. Croix but I have never heard why...do you know? If it is because our gas stations are franchises, are the franchises Puerto Rico based? Do you know if independent gas stations are prohibited on St. Thomas, thereby defeating competition in the retail gas market?

I agree with BASSMAN. We have been there only three times so far, Dec., May, and Aug. We have been on all sides of the refinery, In fact until I figured out the turn on 708, I was always running into the refinery instead of Sunny Isle. LOL. We have never smelled any offensive odors. In Bakersfield, CA when you come over the hill, the stink of oil is all you smell. I think the Hess oil company does a good job in that reguard.

The lack of independent gas stations on STT is probably more likely due to the fact that they have fewer resources available to arrange for delivery of the small quantities of fuel they sell. The product has to be shipped to STT and then trucked to the station site. That gets expensive fast (per gallon) if there is a minimum fee for each part of the transport process. Franchise companies have the knowledge and financial backing to put a system in place and keep the supply lines constant.

On STX, independent stations abound, as all they have to do to get fuel is call Bunkers of St. Croix, a fuel hauling service, to collect a load of gas for them from the refinery. They pay just a few pennies a gallon for the hauling service. Because of this, they can undercut the price per gallon that franchise companies would have to charge to be able to pay the franchise fees.

The fuel transportation situation particular to each island means that franchise companies are in the driver's seat on STT and independent companies rule on STX.

When you think about what the actual transportation costs are on STX, it becomes clear that the gas stations here must be seriously cleaning up with the prices they are charging at the pumps. The same fuel is transported by tanker ship around the world and then via pipeline and tanker trucks across great distances of land to reach individual stations, and still our price isn't much less than on the mainland.

Oh, and there is indeed an odor from the refinery at times. It depends on what part of the process they are in at a given time. You can smell the sulfur burning off a couple times each week if you are driving by on the right (or wrong) days.

On the other question about the friction between STT and STX, as I understand it, it's largely about cruise ships. I'm sure people on STT have a different perspective, but this is what I hear from people all over this island:

STX's primary industry is the refinery. STT's primary industry is tourism and catering to cruise ship passengers. Cruise ships generate some tax dollars that are primarily spent on STT and STJ. The tourist dollars spent daily by individuals feed directly into the STT and STJ economies and none of that spills over to STX. The largest source of USVI tax dollars is the refinery. These funds go into the USVI coffers and are spread around all three islands. Many of the services they pay for are to help with infrastructure on STT to benefit the tourism industry there.

Why this causes anger in many Crucians is that STT has been so adamant about keeping cruise ships from coming to STX. One or two ships per week during the winter months would do so much for the mom and pop businesses on STX to help out the people who don't get any direct benefits from having the refinery on the island, but still have to put up with its presence. STX does not want to be a major cruise ship port. Locals would like a small taste of what STT residents get in the form of tourism dollars paid more directly into the populace to support their families, not merely a few tax dollars from industry that the government decides how to spend.

And that's part of what engendered the separatist movement for STX to secede from the USVI. The thought is that if ALL of the Hovensa tax dollars remain on STX, the island will be much better off than it is by sending part of its income to STT and STJ without getting anything in return. And if STX was no longer part of the USVI, there would not be the same political pressures within the local senate that have helped to keep cruise ships from docking in Frederiksted. So Crucians see the potential for a double win... more tax dollars to be spent locally to improve roads and services, and a boost to the tourism/cruise ship industry that would directly impact the local citizens with hospitality businesses.

Grass roots efforts take time to get going, but in the end they are the strongest. The easiest way for STT to ensure that STX does not become too strong is to accept the inevitable, stop the political infighting, and release a cruise ship or two each week to STX before STX wrests them from STT on their own.

Hello Alexandra.

It is very hard for me to keep up with all of the political shenanigans that surround the STT and STX cruise ship debates. I do, however, watch cruise bboards. I have found that when inexperienced cruisers seek advice from experienced cruisers about the various ports of call, experienced cruisers overwhelmingly suggest that people not even bother to disembark if their ship stops at St. Croix. I have also heard cruise lines claim that lack of passenger interest in St. Croix is responsible for their abandonment of the island as a regular stop.

My favorite place on St. Croix is Fredriksted and I personally think people who write the area off are missing out on a charming corner of the Caribbean. Nevertheless, given that most cruise ship passengers are white and given that many Americans consider shopping their preferred form of "recreation," I am not surprised that they strongly prefer to choke the streets of CA with thousands of other like minded (and similarly colored) people rather than explore Fredriksted where "scary, darker skinned people" outnumber diamonds and emeralds.

and yet my first visit to STX was on board a cruise ship. We were on STT the previous day and I hated it. STX was a wonderful experience. So good that 8 years later I moved here! I didn't go to Christiansted on the cruise ship day, either. I stayed in Frederiksted to do some snorkeling, a little shopping, and wandered about talking to the locals. Everyone was so helpful, friendly, pleasant, and "real"... and that was such a diametric opposite to the experience on STT the previous day... that STX "had me at Good Morning"! 😉 I still live at the west end, too!

Since the cruise lines stopped coming to STX regularly a few years ago, I do understand that there are fewer activities set up ready for cruise ship passengers who are routed here these days. That has become a self-fulfilling prophecy of doom on STX, though. If there were regular cruise ship visits, there would be more businesses operating to keep the passengers occupied and shopping, etc. At this point in time, STX is trying to go with the "if you build it, they will come" philosophy and is renovating the cruise ship pier and the waterfront in Frederiksted. What has taken many years to deteriorate to such a shameful degree will not be repaired overnight. It will be an ongoing battle to keep up with the maintenance and renovations necessary for STX to shine as a tourist port. That doesn't mean it can't be done, though, or that it should not be pursued.

There are more than enough cruise ships for both STX and STT to share in the wealth a bit. Many of the ships that arrived on STX last year came on a moment's notice due to STT being just too full on a few specific days. Regretfully, those passengers didn't get the full effect of what their stop on STX might have been due to lack of notice to businesses to be open and expecting 2000 passengers and 1000 crew members disembarking on those days. Rushing to play catch up after the ship has docked doesn't allow businesses and services to shine.

Still, I think many experienced travelers have found over time that sometimes the most special memories from a trip are the things that weren't micromanaged and arranged in advance of your trip. Go with the flow and enjoy the experience. My original trip to STX was supposed to have been a day spent on St. Martin. Still, I wouldn't change the fact that we visited STX that day for anything.

Ronnie and Bassman. First of all Ronnie name one thing that St.Thomas does that is a good thing for ST.Croix. Don't say that sending a Cruise ship here when St.Thomas is full is a good thing. Technicaly that is a bad thing for St.Croix. When a ship is sent here it is on a moments notice and nobody is prepared. That makes St.Croix look like a ghost town to the ship passengerss, and they get very boared. They blame it on St.Croix when it is really the fault of St.Thomas for over booking the pier. Yes you do export the Govornment from St.Thomas. That is never a good thing. Bass man one week is not long enough to get the real feel of any Island. Next time take a drive down to the cargo port just west of Hovensa. You'll see what Im talking about. In my opinion . If St.Croix were to become its oun teritory of the US. We would be paving the streets with gold and St.Thomas would become a forgotted thirld world territory. I ve noticed that nobody who lives west of Hovensa on St.Croix has said anything about how they cant smell the poison that is emitted from the biggest eyesore in the Islands. By the way some people still refer to St.Croix as "Isla Santa CRUZ".

I was on STX yesterday and the cab went by Five Corners...

$2.24/gal.

Wow...we are at 3.05.

WOW! You're now 5 cents a gal. more than here in CT. I really don't understand why that should be.

Down to 2.05 in Roswell

$1.96/gallon in Henderson, KY.

I live in Newburgh, Indiana, but have to drive to Henderson for work. I am currently on maternity leave, but I need to run into school tomorrow night to get some more plans set up.

Kinda glad, really...my gas tank is pretty much on "E"!!

Down to 3.49 from high of 3.69 on Kodiak Island Alaska.Even a gallon of milk here is almost 6.00.So STX prices are GREAT to me...
LA

$1.97.9 in Ohio!!!! Dropping fast.

1.89 in South Jerzey this morning.