Gas prices nationwide are dropping, but according to Gasbuddy.com Petroleum Analyst Patrick DeHaan, prices in Montana keep rising.

"There's been a lot of change here in the last week," DeHaan said. "The national average has continued to slide it's fourth consecutive weekly drop, now in it's 22nd straight day of drop. The National average down to about $2.26 a gallon, down about three cents from a week ago. At the same time, prices in Montana have continued to go up."

Prices in Montana are up about two cents, to $2.31 a gallon. Meanwhile, a flurry of executive orders from President Donald Trump have had little impact on gas prices so far, but DeHaan says if Keystone XL is built it could drive U.S. gas prices up.

"Keystone XL could be a game changer, it could shift things," DeHaan said. "The U.S. has been the only destination for Canadian crude oil for as long as Canadians have been producing crude oil. Now, Keystone XL could change that, it could allow other countries outside of the U.S. to purchase Canadian crude oil and lead to higher demand and higher prices for Canadian crude oi."

Though the newest proposal to build Keystone XL has been submitted, it hasn’t been finalized and it will likely take months or even years before the project has any impact on Montana gas prices.

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