NIAGARA COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) — Gas prices at Native American-owned businesses in Niagara County are nearly matching, and in some cases equaling, prices at non-Native stations, despite a long history of saving customers money.
During my time in Niagara County on Tuesday, I found the following gas prices in the area:
- Smokin Joe's on the Tuscarora Reservation: $4.34 per gallon
- Seneca One Stop in Niagara Falls: $4.49 per gallon
- Speedway in the Town of Niagara, as well as several others: $4.49 per gallon
Despite no requirement for reservation businesses to pay state taxes, Smokin Joe’s, as well as other native-owned stations on Saunders Settlement Road, only had prices $0.15 cheaper than non-native stations.
In another case, both the Seneca One Stop and the Speedway prices matched, this also despite no requirement for reservation businesses to pay state taxes. Their $4.49 prices were $0.05 above the Erie and Niagara County average of $4.45 as of Tuesday afternoon.
WATCH: Gas prices on Native American reservations nearing rates of non-Native stations
Despite holding the lowest price I saw, The Tuscarora Nation and Smokin Joe's did not respond to requests for comment.
The Seneca Nation provided the following statement addressing the narrowing price gap between Native and non-Native retailers:
"When world events, like the war in Iran, wreak havoc on gas prices, it impacts everyone. The price we are paying for our gasoline supply is changing drastically on a near daily basis. We saw an increase of 60 cents per gallon in a recent two-day stretch. Due to the high volume of business we see at our Seneca One Stop locations, we often purchase gasoline supply more frequently than other retailers, placing us at the leading edge of the price increases. That lag means that costs at Native and non-Native retailers can be very similar for a time. For the same reason, when prices drop, we will often be the first to see the decrease in price. Like all retailers and our customers, we are doing our best to manage the current price spikes and volatility as best as we can. We continue to actively monitor prices as we purchase our gasoline supply to ensure we are getting the best price so we can provide our customers the best value possible."
If the $4.49 price at the Seneca One Stop represents the "leading edge" of increases, only time will tell just how high prices will climb at the non-Native stations that do pay state taxes.
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