Local Entrepreneur shares insights on rapidly rising gas prices in Coachella Valley

COACHELLA VALLEY, Calif. (KESQ)  - The price of oil has spiked, and with it, gas prices across the United States are rising due to the war in the Middle East.

As prices continue to climb, Nachhattar Singh Chandi, president and CEO of Chandi Group USA, which operates several ARCO AM/PM gas stations across the Coachella Valley, said the pace leaves little time for owners to react.

“We get notice in seconds,” Chandi said. “We have no choice but to move up on it. It’s every day the price has gone up. Sometimes even the price has increased twice a day, almost.”

He said the biggest challenge in California is the state’s limited refinery capacity.

“We lost many refineries, so we depend on the pipeline of resources on it,” Chandi said. “We have a very short demand.”

Chandi said station owners have little control over the direction of prices.

“I know my customers in the area, especially the eastern part of the valley — they’re long commuters, landscapers, construction workers and even single moms,” Chandi said. “We’re all getting affected.”

Stay with News Channel 3 for the full report at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.