Gasoline prices should start to fall
Area residents can expect to see gasoline prices fall now that the summer driving season is over. And, they can also be thankful prices in this region are “traditionally lower’ than other parts of the tri-state area, according to the AAA West Penn/West Virginia/South Central Ohio.
The AAA weekly fuel gauge, which reports average price for a gallon of unleaded fuel at a self-serve station, also shows average prices in 22 different western Pennsylvania communities.
The survey shows fuel selling for a high of $1.499 in Warren and a low of $1.354 in Jeannette.
“Some of the variation in that has to do with supply and demand in the area. It could also have to do with competition,’ Bevi Norris, AAA public relations director, said. She added that of those communities, “Uniontown is traditionally one of the lower ones for gasoline prices. Jeannette is also. But when you add Pittsburgh (prices) into the mix, the average goes up a little higher.’
However, prices should begin to fall, she added.
“Since production seems to be in line with demand, prices should start coming down. Traditionally during this time prices are lower after the summer driving season. They usually go up again after Memorial Day,’ Norris said. The wild card in the market, she said, is a possible war with Iraq. “We could be looking at lower supplies and higher prices if that happens.’
Meanwhile, western Pennsylvania drivers paid a penny more for a gallon of unleaded, self-serve fuel last week.
The AAA survey showed the average price for the region hit $1.419 a gallon or 24.8 cents more than one year ago. “The price of crude oil has backed away from $30 a barrel seen last week and is closer to $28 a barrel,’ Norris said in the survey.
“The nationwide average price of gasoline has continued to increase, however, and is now $1.474 per gallon.’
Gasoline prices are “especially high in the Midwest and Great Lakes states with prices up more than 10 cents a gallon in many states, and as much as 15 cents higher in some locations.
“Since summer cleaner burning gasoline requirements are no longer in effect, and the brief slowdown in gasoline production and distribution caused by hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico are several weeks behind us, price increases in some markets may be overdone and due for a decline,’ she said.
The nationwide average for a gallon of unleaded gasoline was higher in October 2000, Norris said. “At that time motorists were paying an average of $1.549 nationwide.’