Why are community's gas prices still so high?

It seems that we who live way up in North Idaho in a small town called Sandpoint have gold coming out of them there pumps at the gas stations. When the average price in the rest of the country is at about $2.20 per gallon and goes as low as $2.03 in some places, we are still shoveling out our mortgage payments to someone that must really need it.

I just want to know why do the people of this community have to pay that much difference for the same product? Now don't give me that same old song and dance that the cost of transportation is the reason cause that doesn't hold water anymore in my book. Now let me see, 10,000-gallon tanker truck (X) we'll say 40 cents a gallon difference in the price of fuel in Portland equals $4,000 in transportation costs over a 430-mile trip. I'm gonna buy me a truck.

I made a trip in my pickup to Albany, N.Y., a while back and the highest price I paid for gasoline was in Sandpoint. Things have not changed a bit. Gasoline is cheaper in Coeur d'Alene, Bonners Ferry, Spokane and the list goes on. I just want to know why.

MIKE CONNER

Sandpoint