Energy, Gas Prices | featured news

A sharp decline in the price of oil this month is making gasoline cheaper at a time of year when it typically gets more expensive. It's a relief to motorists and business owners and a positive development for the economy. Over the past three weeks, the price of oil has fallen by 9 percent to $89 a barrel.

Gas prices have jumped again, but there is good news on the horizon, the publisher of a new survey said Sunday. Over the past two weeks, prices at the pump have jumped 20 cents, adding to a total rise of nearly 54 cents over the past nine weeks, according to the Lundberg Survey.

Experts say prices should continue rising at least 5 cents a week until early April.

U.S. gas prices have hit a four-month high after 32 straight days of increasess. The Automobile Association of America said Monday that the national average for a gallon of regular is $3.73 — 43 cents more than a month ago — with prices topping $4 in California and Hawaii.

Gasoline prices at the pump have climbed every day for the past 21 days — and they’re not going to let up anytime soon. On Thursday, the average U.S. price for a gallon of regular gasoline stood at $3.555, making it the most expensive average ever for that day and the highest level since Oct. 26 of last year, according to AAA. See AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

U.S. gasoline prices crept up by about 2 cents per gallon over the past two weeks, but higher crude oil prices are likely to mean more small increases on the horizon, the latest Lundberg Survey concluded Sunday.

For the fourth straight day, California has a new record for gasoline prices, but the rise has apparently lost nearly all of its momentum.

Gov. Jerry Brown intervened in the unrelenting climb of gasoline prices by calling for the immediate release of a cheaper, but less environmentally friendly, blend of gasoline. Brown directed the California Air Resources Board on Sunday to permit oil companies to start selling winter-blend gasoline, which evaporates more quickly in warm weather than the summer blend. Normally, winter blend isn't permitted to be released until Oct. 31.

Since June, gasoline prices have climbed more or less steadily and are now 35 cents per gallon higher than they were a year ago. According to AAA’s daily fuel gauge report, which measures gas prices around the country, gas prices have hit daily record highs at least once in each of the past six weeks. In Michigan and Ohio, prices rose by 50 cents per gallon in the past year. As of Oct. 1, there were seven states with gas prices above $4 per gallon.

Gasoline prices in California rose to another all-time high on Sunday after passing a four-year high a day earlier, according to AAA....