美国中西部汽油库存已降至历史最低水平，在距离几场关键参议院选举仅剩数日之际，引发该地区加油站油价持续高企的担忧。
Gasoline stockpiles in the Midwest have fallen to an all-time low, raising the threat of persistently high pump prices in the region just days away from a handful of crucial Senate elections.
根据美国能源部周三发布的数据，商业汽油库存上周减少120万桶，降至4100万桶，为有记录以来最低。
Commercial gasoline supplies declined to 41 million barrels — the lowest on record — after falling by 1.2 million barrels last week, according to US Department of Energy data released Wednesday.
由于作为地区基准的芝加哥批发汽油调和组分价格飙升，五大湖地区零售加油站价格近期大幅上涨。生产端担忧拖累了该基准价格：一家炼厂出现问题削减了部分产出，而Cenovus Energy Inc.（森诺威能源公司）位于俄亥俄州的另一座炼厂因例行维护处于停工状态。
Retail pump prices in the Great Lakes recently soared after a surge in wholesale gasoline blendstock prices in Chicago, the regional benchmark. Production concerns weighed on the benchmark: an issue at a refinery crimped some output, while another facility owned by Cenovus Energy Inc. in Ohio is offline for regular maintenance.
据GasBuddy数据，周三密歇根州平均油价为每加仑4.69美元，较4.80美元左右的高点有所回落。俄亥俄州油价维持在每加仑4.30美元左右，也较上周略有下降。这两个州将于下周二举行参议院选举，对决定国会参议院的权力平衡至关重要，爱荷华州、明尼苏达州和内布拉斯加州同样如此。
In Michigan, prices averaged $4.69 a gallon on Wednesday, according to GasBuddy, down from highs of around $4.80 a gallon. In Ohio, prices stood around $4.30, also down slightly from last week. Both states have Senate elections next Tuesday that will be critical for deciding the balance of Congress’s upper chamber, along with Iowa, Minnesota and Nebraska.
尽管供应依然紧张，但进一步缓解可能正在到来。芝加哥批发汽油调和组分价格已大幅下跌，从每加仑4美元以上降至3.09美元。同时，森诺威位于俄亥俄州的炼厂似乎接近复工。
Further relief may be on the way in spite of the tight supply picture. Chicago wholesale gasoline blendstock prices have fallen significantly, down to $3.09 a gallon from more than $4 a gallon. Meanwhile, Cenovus’s refinery in Ohio appears close to starting back up.
但库存处于如此低位意味着，任何进一步的突发状况都可能引发同样剧烈的价格上涨，因为地区市场几乎没有备用燃料。即便没有新问题出现，紧张的市场也为油价提供了一定的底部支撑。
But stockpiles this low mean that any further flare-up might trigger similarly sharp price increases, with little spare fuel on the regional market. And even if no issues emerge, the tight market offers something of a floor to prices.