Gas prices drop by a lot in parts of northern New England

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Gas prices fell in northern New England over the past week after weeks of speculation that a price drop was coming.

Prices in Maine fell 2.9 cents per gallon over the past week, according to GasBuddy, which surveys stations. The price in the state was down to $3.43 per gallon, the organization said Monday.

Prices in New Hampshire went down 3 cents, to $3.32. In Vermont, prices fell 4.2 cents to land at $3.39. Prices fell even more in the Burlington area, where they dropped 10.6 cents to $3.37.

The national average was $3.34 per gallon. That was a decrease of 5.3 cents.

Anxiety over the omicron variant of COVID-19 and reductions in fuel consumption drove the price drop, said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy.