Prices at the pump rise

Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City), Sep 28, 1999

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Gasoline prices nationwide surged more than 1 1/2 cents in the past two weeks because crude oil prices continue to increase, an industry analyst said Sunday.

The weighted average nationwide as of Friday was $1.3341, up 1.63 cents per gallon from a Sept. 10 survey, said Trilby Lundberg, who directs the Lundberg survey of 10,000 gasoline stations across the nation.

A four-cent-a-gallon dip, however, occurred in the West, which continues to recover from a gas shortage prompted by Northern California refinery fires in the spring, Lundberg said.

The price hike in most areas resulted from crude oil prices that have jumped by more than $1.20 per barrel, Lundberg said.

The Lundberg survey showed a national average price for self service regular unleaded gasoline of $1.2817. Mid-grade unleaded was $1.3803 and premium unleaded was $1.4652.

For full service regular unleaded, the survey showed the average price was $1.6112 with mid-grade at $1.6976 and premium at $1.7720.

That compares with average prices in the West on Friday of $1.3876 for self-serve regular, falling from $1.4311 on Sept. 10, Lundberg said.

San Francisco's Bay Area still reports the nation's highest average prices, Lundberg said. Self-serve regular unleaded was $1.5813, compared with $1.6315 on Sept. 10, she said.

Atlanta has the nation's lowest average price with self-serve regular unleaded at $1.1151 and the Midwest showed a price hike higher than the national average, rising from $1.2356 on Sept. 10 to $1.2763 on Friday, Lundberg said.