Gas Prices Tumble 30 Cents Below National Average

Gas prices in Massachusetts continued their slow decline after peaking at record-high amounts earlier this year, AAA Northeast reported Monday.

The average price of $3.49 per gallon was down 8 cents from last week ($3.57) and 46 cents from a month ago ($3.95), according to AAA. However, the average is still 39 cents higher than this time last year. ($3.10).

Massachusetts’ average gas price is 30 cents lower than the national average, though it remains higher than neighbors Rhode Island and Connecticut.

“The regional differences in gas prices are stark at the moment, with prices here in the East still falling, prices on the West Coast hitting $6 a gallon and higher, while Texas and Gulf Coast states have prices dipping below $3 in some areas,” said Mary Maguire, AAA Northeast Vice President of Public and Government Affairs.

Maguire added that reports have emerged from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies –including Russia — known as OPEC+ that they intend to announce collective oil production cuts at their meeting on Wednesday in Vienna. If OPEC+ reduces production, prices could rise again this week, she said.