DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The price of oil in the United States is going down. While the oil & gas industry in Illinois is trying to stay afloat, experts said this setback is expected to put small marketers in fiscal danger.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, one can think a 'silver lining' is how cheap gas is. 

People aren't driving as much and businesses are feeling the pressure. Josh Sharp, the CEO of the Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association, described how the price of oil per barrel was $60. Those were the prices during the months of December, 2019 and January of 2020. Nowadays, Sharp says the price is less than $15. 

"I think you probably have about 30 million people who would rather have their job back right now than they would have low gas prices," Sharp said. 

The CEO told WAND News the oil & gas industry in Illinois are 'off about 50%'. Sharp said the oil & gas industry is a reflection of the economy. He said the state roughly earned  $100 million a month in revenue from a 2019 gas tax. 

"If you have demanding being off 50%, that's only $50 million a month," Sharp said. "So the state of Illinois loses $50 million a month." 

That's money that could go towards funding educational programs, fixing infrastructures and creating jobs. While trying to keep heads above water, Sharp expressed optimism. As soon as the economy returns to some type of normalcy, Sharp said its industry will bounce back. At this point, it's matter of when.Â