Gas prices creep up in Las Vegas

Saturday, Jan. 10, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Gas prices set to tumble below $3 (10-24-08)
Gas prices fall below $3.30 in Las Vegas (10-13-08)
Gas prices slide below $3.50 a gallon (10-1-08)

Gas prices are nowhere near the $4 mark as they were a few months ago, but for the past two weeks prices have been inching their way upward again in Las Vegas and across the country.

According to GasBuddy.com, the highest national average for regular unleaded gas was $4.12 in July compared to the average of $1.77 on Friday.

The average price for regular unleaded fuel in Las Vegas was $1.87 Friday, 10 cents above the national average, according to VegasGasPrices.com, which is affiliated with GasBuddy.com. A year ago the average was $3.09 for a gallon in Las Vegas, while the average nationally was $2.76.

AAA Nevada spokesman Michael Geeser said gas prices began to rise slowly each day after the new year. There are two main reasons for the increase, he said.

“This is the time of year when prices start to go up based upon demand and refineries getting set for their scheduled maintenance periods when they're not producing enough product,” he said. He said the second reason is that gas retailers may think now is a good time to get back money lost earlier in the year.

However, Geeser does not expect the prices to rise as high as they were six months ago.

“With the economic crisis we have all gone through, demand has really gone down,” he said. “I don’t think prices will get that high because people won’t be using as much of it as they were last summer.”

The lowest prices in the nation could be found in Wyoming at $1.39 per gallon, Montana at $1.44 and Colorado at $1.52. The most expensive gas was pumped in Alaska at $2.37 with Hawaii and California following behind, selling at $2.32 and $1.96 per gallon, respectively.

According to the AAA auto club, areas in Nevada were above the national rate, except for Elko, which averaged $1.68 Friday. Henderson’s regular gas was sold at $1.87, Reno at $1.95, Carson City averaged $1.88 and Sparks was the highest with $1.96 per gallon.

Discussion: 4 comments so far…

By RunningonEmpty

1/10/09 at 4:27 a.m.

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The high cost of fuel this past year did serious damage to our economy and society. After a brief reprieve gas prices are inching back up again. Our nation should not allow other nations to have such power over us and our economy . We have so much available to us in the way of technology and free sources of energy. WE seriously need to get on with becoming an energy independent nation. We are spending billions upon billions in bail out dollars. Why not spend some of those billions in getting alternative energy projects set up. We could create clean cheap energy, millions of badly needed new green jobs and lessen our dependence on foreign oil all in one fell swoop. I just read an eye opening book by Jeff Wilson called The Manhattan Project of 2009. It would cost the equivalent of 60 cents per gallon to drive and charge an electric car.If all gasoline cars, trucks, and SUV's instead had plug-in electric drive trains, the amount of electricity needed to replace gasoline is about equal to the estimated wind energy potential of the state of North Dakota. Why don't we use some of the billions in bail out money to bail us out of our dependence on foreign oil? This past year the high cost of fuel so seriously damaged our economy and society that the ripple effects will be felt for years to come. www.themanhattanprojectof2009.com
By Sonic_Nurse

1/10/09 at 8:53 p.m.

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Yeah lower prices at the pump was not gonna last long. Lets be real about this; the 2008 election is over now its business as usual.
By AJ0101

1/12/09 at 11:14 a.m.

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That's funny but probably sadly true about the election! I did give this site, petrofix.com, a shot. With gas prices this low I thought it was worth a try.
By Gordon

1/12/09 at 11:37 a.m.

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Oil prices were artificially high. Supply and demand was not setting the price, manipulation was setting the price. Watch the 60 minutes investigation aired yesterday here http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/0...

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