Just why are we suddenly paying more to gas up?  The answer, apparently, lies south of the border.

A major pipeline in the U.S. ruptured last week which is part of the blame for the rise in gas prices in Moose Jaw and southern Saskatchewan.  Heading into this weekend prices across the city are running at about 116.9/litre.

Dan McTeague from Gasbuddy.com said the break is in the Explorer pipeline.

“About a week or so ago it ruptured, therefore it closed, creating a bit of a supply crunch,” he said.

Adding to the supply issue, McTeague said a lot of the major refineries down south are conducting annual maintenance a bit later than usual.

“We’re not talking small (refineries) here,” he said. “It the case of Exxon Joliet refinery, (It’s) almost two-and-a-half times the size of the Co-op refinery in Regina, that has gone through maintenance as did two other refineries.”

Good news is on the horizon as McTeague said what goes up, must come down.

“Once these things are resolved south of the border, we’ll likely see them (prices) drop down several cents a litre over the next seven to 10 days.”