Gas Prices Up, EP Drivers Still Paying Least In State

HOUSTON (AP) – El Paso drivers are again paying the lowest prices for gas, according to AAA Texas.

Retail gasoline prices are sharply higher in Texas this week, compared with last week. The weekly AAA Texas gas price survey released Friday finds regular self-serve is averaging $2.93 per gallon at pumps in 10 Texas cities.

That’s 9 cents higher than last week. Nationally, the average price rose 7 cents to $3.05 per gallon.

The cheapest gas in Texas is in El Paso, where it’s averaging $2.83 per gallon, up 3 cents from last week. The most expensive gas is in Texarkana, where the average rose 12 cents to $3.02 per gallon

Auto club spokeswoman Rose Rougeau attribute the increase to the spike in crude oil prices, which topped $100 per barrel for the first time this week. She says supply worries and speculation are at least partly to blame for the crude oil price spike.

These are average per-gallon prices of regular, self-serve gasoline in Texas and nationally, as well as the change from last week, according to AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch:

Austin-San Marcos — $2.956, up 5.4 cents

Beaumont — $2.936, up 8.5 cents

Corpus Christi — $2.888, up 10.0 cents

Dallas — $2.909, up 9.1 cents

Fort Worth — $2.910, up 9.6 cents

Galveston-Texas City — $2.897, up 9.1 cents

Houston — $2.895, up 9.3 cents

San Antonio — $2.924, up 6.6 cents

Texarkana (Texas only) — $3.015, up 12.1 cents

State — $2.925, up 8.6 cents

Nationally — $3.052, up 7.1 cents

To Check local gas prices, click on the links provided.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) AP-NY-01-04-08 0733EST