![Montana Gas Prices May Plummet if Shutdown Stretches on, Analyst Says](http://townsquare.media/site/119/files/2013/10/Gas-pumps.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Montana Gas Prices May Plummet if Shutdown Stretches on, Analyst Says
After months on the rise, gasoline prices are falling in most of the nation, and Montana appears to be leading the way.
"The average price across Montana went down 6 cents per gallon," said GasBuddy.com Petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan. "That was actually a little bit faster than the national average, which dropped about a nickel. So finally we're starting to see some relief."
DeHaan said that an extended federal shutdown could push prices even further down.
"The thinking is, that the longer the shutdown, the more of a negative drag it will have on the economy, and when the economy slows down, so does gasoline demand," DeHaan said. "That's where the downward pressure would come from, the concern for an economic slowdown."
Though there is a downward trend, gas prices in neighboring Wyoming have actually spiked over the past week.
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