(CHARLOTTE) -- Why Now? That is what Tom Crosby of Charlotte-based AAA Carolinas is asking about the announcement on Thursday that some of the strategic petroleum reserve will be released to help stabilize gas prices.

"There's really no real need for it.  If it's going to be done, it should've been done back when prices were approaching $4.00 a gallon.  All of the world economics right now are driving the price down," said Crosby.

He added that releasing a total of 30 million barrels of oil onto the world market over the next 30 days is to offset the disruption in the oil supply caused by unrest in the Middle East is very unusual.  "The Strategic Petroleum Reserve is there for emergencies like war or tornadoes or hurricanes, something that really devastates the gasoline supply. That isn't the case here.

Oil prices took a dive at the end of the trading day on Thursday.  Early Friday prices hovered above $91 a barrel in Asia.