Gas Watch: Why is gas so much cheaper in Ohio? - WOWK 13 Charleston, Huntington WV News, Weather, Sports

The stretch of Ohio Route 52, just outside of West Virginia and Kentucky, is the place to go for anyone wanting to save on gas.

"It's really nice that they've been going down, especially with a big truck," says Jacquelyn Ahern, a truck-owner who just moved to the area from Philadelphia, "It's a lot easier on gas with going to work, and going to whatever I need to do, especially with the holidays and everything, it's saving me money."

But why is gas 40 cents cheaper here, than in West Virginia or Kentucky?

Part of it has to do with gas taxes, which are lower in Ohio.

Another part has to do with laws against below-cost sales.

In states with below-cost sales laws, retailers can't sell gas, or anything else, at a price lower than wholesale.

Federal anti-trust laws also cover below-cost sales.

States like West Virginia and Kentucky take it a little further with their own laws, but some drivers say any kind of government interference with any product's prices is wrong.

"The freedom to sell, and set your own price in the marketplace is something that should be protected," says Pastor Dusty Howard of Kentucky.

Retailers make a few pennies, two or three percent, per gallon of gas.

Selling gas below cost, means a loss on gas, but it also means traffic through their shops, where the real money is.

That's one major difference in Ohio's retail atmosphere that may be a reason for why gas is less expensive in the state.