For the fifth straight week, gas prices fell by a few cents over the past seven days, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge. As of this morning, a gallon of regular, unleaded gas was selling for an average of $3.43, down 4 cents on the week. The slow trickle down began at the end of February, when prices had been steadily rising for more than a month and a gallon of gas was selling for about 25 cents more compared to today. Last year at this time, gas was selling for $3.79 in the Baton Rouge metro area. The local average continues to remain below both the state and national average. The Louisiana average is at $3.46 at the start of April, which is 4 cents lower than a week ago, 16 cents lower than a month ago and 34 cents lower than a year ago. The U.S. average is at $3.63 this morning, down 3 cents on the week and 12 cents on the month. A year ago, the U.S. average was $3.92. You can see the complete report
After steady rises throughout the first two months of the year, gas prices in Baton Rouge have now trickled down for four straight weeks, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge. As of this morning, a gallon of regular unleaded gas is selling for an average of $3.49 in Baton Rouge, down 4 cents compared to the average price a week ago. One month ago, the average local price was $3.65 per gallon, and gas is now selling for 27 cents less than it was at this time last year. The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge tracks prices in metro areas across the United States. The Louisiana average as of this morning is $3.50, down 3 cents on the week and 16 cents on the month. The U.S. average is $3.66, which is an increase of 2 cents on the week, but a decrease of 12 cents compared to a month ago. Hawaii is paying the highest average price in America, at $4.39. Wyoming motorists are paying the lowest average price in the country, $3.32. You can check out the complete report
Another week, another nickel. After spiking 13 cents the week previous, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Baton Rouge rose by another 5 cents over the past week. As of this morning, Baton Rouge motorists are paying about $3.38 a gallon. That's 17 cents more per gallon than they were paying one month ago, but it's still 6 cents cheaper compared to last year at this time. Baton Rouge's average price is now just a penny below the state average of $3.39—which is also up 5 cents on the week. The state average is also lower than the national average of $3.58, up 6 cents over the past week. U.S. average prices have climbed 27 cents over the past month and are 8 cents higher this morning than they were one year ago. You can check out the complete AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report here for gas price information from every state and major metro area in the...
At $3.12, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas is 4 cents lower today than it was a week ago in Baton Rouge, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Local gas prices are now 8 cents lower than they were two weeks ago and 11 cents lower than they were a month ago. Nonetheless, they remain 2 cents higher than they were a year ago. The average price across Louisiana is at $3.14 this morning, down 5 cents on the week and 12 cents on the month—but up one penny from a year ago. Local and state averages continue to trend below the national average of $3.34 per gallon, which is down 4 cents on the week and 10 cents on the month. Yet the national average this morning is 6 cents higher than it was a year ago. You can check out the complete AAA Daily Fuel Gauge report here.
The average gallon of regular unleaded gas is selling for $3.20 in Baton Rouge this morning, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge. That's about 2 cents more than the average price per gallon one week ago, but 20 cents lower than it was one month ago. A year ago, gas was selling for 13 cents less per gallon than it is today. The state average this morning is $3.22 per gallon, up one penny on the week. The U.S. average, at $3.42 per gallon, is also one cent higher than it was a week ago. Baton Rouge gas prices have consistently tracked slightly below the state average in recent months and have been trending downward in recent weeks. Baton Rouge gas prices hit a historical high of $3.99 per gallon on July 18, 2008. You can check out the Daily Fuel Gauge here.
Last week marked the second in a row that Baton Rouge drivers got a pretty significant break at the gas pump. The average price of a gallon of unleaded regular gas fell 11 cents from Monday, Oct. 22, through today, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Gas prices also fell 8 cents over the week prior to that. As of this morning, Baton Rouge prices are averaging $3.37 per gallon. One month ago, the average price in Baton Rouge was $3.56 a gallon. However, today's prices are still 9 cents higher than the $3.28 per gallon motorists in Baton Rouge were paying a year ago. Nonetheless, the local average remains below the $3.39 state average and the $3.54 national average. Check out the complete Daily Fuel Gauge Report here.
The average price of a gallon of unleaded regular gas has decreased 8 cents in Baton Rouge over the past week, according to AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. As of this morning, gas is selling for $3.48 a gallon in the city, down from $3.56 a week ago. One month ago, gas was selling locally for $3.62 on average. But while $3.48 a gallon might look good compared to a week or month ago, it's still 16 cents higher than the $3.32 per-gallon-average of one year ago. Baton Rouge prices today remain below the state average of $3.50 per gallon and the national average of $3.66. However, all those averages could see significant decreases in coming weeks. USA Today is reporting this morning that average gas prices across the country could fall by as much as 50 cents a gallon in the near future due to rising inventory and lower demand. "Most of the country is heading appreciably lower the next few weeks,'' says Tom Kloza, of the Oil Price Information Service, who predicts retail prices will...
If you're planning on filling up in Baton Rouge today, you'll probably pay somewhere around $3.56 for a gallon of regular unleaded gas. According to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, today's average is 3 cents more than the Baton Rouge average a week ago. It's also a dime less than a month ago, but 23 cents higher than a year ago. Baton Rouge's average is 2 cents lower than the state average of $3.58 a gallon, which is 20 cents lower than the national average. Nationally, the $3.78 per gallon Americans are paying today is 3 cents less than they paid a week ago and 8 cents less than they paid a month ago—but 33 cents more than they paid a year ago. The highest average gas price in Baton Rouge was set on July 18, 2008, when a gallon of regular unleaded sold for $3.99. The U.S. average peaked a day previous at $4.11.
Drivers in the United States feel less "pain at the pump" than all but a handful of other nations—most of which are major oil producers that heavily subsidize fuel prices. That’s the conclusion of Bloomberg’s quarterly gasoline price ranking, and one that’s at odds with the experience of many Americans. If filling the tank in the United States is as relatively inexpensive as the ranking shows, why do many Americans say it hurts so much? The gas ranking first ran in May, when U.S. gasoline prices spiked, to put some of the campaign-season economic and political debate into perspective. The pain factor is calculated by dividing a nation’s average price per gallon of gasoline by its average daily income; in other words, it’s the share of a person’s wallet needed to buy a gallon of gasoline in each country. But what this ranking doesn’t take into account is the amount of gasoline consumed. When that’s considered, a very...
If there was going to be a drop in gasoline prices in coming weeks, as suppliers shift from summer blends to winter blends, Hurricane Isaac may have expedited the process. The onset of fall typically coincides with a small reduction in gas prices around the country as suppliers begin delivering winter-grade gas between Sept. 15 and Oct. 1. But Isaac caused the issuance of waivers in the state for early deliveries of winter-grade fuel after gas stations ran dry and refineries shut down for days after the storm landed Aug. 29, says the state Department of Environmental Quality. If service stations haven't already received winter-grade gas, then "they will be getting the winter blend when they get their next shipment," says DEQ spokesman Rodney Mallett. John Felmy, a chief economist with the American Petroleum Institute, says winter-grade gasoline is typically cheaper because it requires fewer additives to prevent evaporation and increased air pollution. However, Felmy adds that...
RaceTrac Petroleum has acquired a prime tract of undeveloped land on the corner of Burbank Drive and Bluebonnet Boulevard, and plans to open a gas station and convenience store on the site early next year, says Mark Hebert, who represented the Atlanta, Ga.-based buyer in the transaction. The company paid $1.6 million in cash for the 80,000-square-foot property, which it purchased from Pearson Burbank LLC on Aug. 23. When completed, the new RaceTrac will be the company's 13th in the Capital Region. There are more than 500 RaceTrac stations across the Southeast. "They like Baton Rouge, and they're expanding their presence in this market," says Hebert, adding the company has another site in the area under contract and is looking at several others. While a gas station may not seem like the highest and best use for the property—which is on an increasingly busy corner across from the site of a planned Walmart—Hebert says new state regulations governing ingresses and egresses...
Gas became such a high-value commodity Monday in Baton Rouge, even the most expensive gas stations were selling out of regular and premium before evening set in. LaRouge Mart on Jefferson Highway, which is listed at GasBuddy.com as selling regular gas at $3.89 over the last 48 hours, says it ran out of regular fuel by 4 p.m. The premium tapped out by 5 p.m. Lines at gas stations were commonplace throughout Baton Rouge Monday and remain so this morning. "We saw this four years ago, with [Hurricane] Gustav," says Gregg Laskoski, a senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com who is based in Tampa Bay, Fla. Exacerbating the problem, Laskoski says, is consumer panic. Buyers are topping off tanks and parking the car in the driveway—where it might sit for the duration of the storm. The average price of gas in Louisiana rose from $3.60 on Sunday to $3.65 today, Laskoski says. "I think they're going to increase because of disruptions to the supply side," Laskoski says. Refineries in the...
You may pay more than ever for a late-summer drive this year. As of Monday, U.S. drivers were paying an average of $3.72 per gallon—the highest price ever on this date, according to auto club AAA. That's a shade above the $3.71 average on Aug. 20, 2008. A year ago, the average was $3.57. More daily price-per-gallon records are likely over the next few weeks. The national average could increase to $3.75 per gallon by Labor Day, says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service. By comparison, gas prices stayed below $3.70 in late August and early September in both 2008 and 2011. Retail gasoline prices have gone up about 39 cents per gallon, or 12%, since hitting a low of $3.33 on July 2, according to AAA, OPIS and Wright Express. Kloza estimates that U.S. drivers are paying $149 million more each day for gas than in early July. Analysts expect prices to drop after Labor Day, so at least drivers shouldn't have to worry about a return to the April high of $3.94...
If you've been pricing flights at all since the first of the year, you've probably noticed fares have been ascending. The major airlines, including Delta, United and American, have collectively attempted to raise fares at least six times this year already, and have succeeded on half of those attempts. In most instances, the airlines have pegged the increases to rising fuel prices; a line of reasoning most Americans can at least begrudgingly accept considering they rising prices they've seen at the pumps in recent years. But a new study out by corporate travel management company Carson Wagonlit Travel shows fuel surcharges—those fees that airlines say increase ticket prices to compensate for higher fuel costs—have risen twice as fast as fuel prices over the last year. Since April 2011, fuel surcharges by U.S. airlines have risen 53%, while fuel prices...
Over the past two weeks, U.S. oil prices have regained about one-third of the $30 a barrel they lost in late June, and it appears the rebound is having an effect on end prices at the pump. The average price of a gallon of unleaded gas rose 7.5 cents on the week in Baton Rouge, according to BatonRougeGasPrices.com, a subsidiary of GasBuddy.com, which tracks average prices at 250 cities throughout the country. As of this morning, local prices were averaging $3.18 a gallon, which was still well below the $3.42 national average. Compared to a year ago this week, prices are also about 38 cents lower in Baton Rouge, and are down a little over 3 cents compared to last month. The national average has decreased about 25 cents on the year and is down 11 cents from a month ago. "Those who stuck around the low gas price party expecting it to last have realized they're out in the cold," says GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan. "Oil prices are well off their recent lows, and...
Biodiesel production in the United States has surged so far in 2012, just two years after a collapse in which 52 of the nation's 170 biodiesel plants were idled. But as The Los Angeles Times reports, the fuel still has many miles to go before it becomes a significant addition to the nation's energy needs, according to Energy Department statistics. During the first quarter of 2012, which are the most recent statistics available, 241 million gallons of biodiesel were produced, the Energy Department reports. That was a 78.5% increase over the same three months in 2011, and a whopping 169% increase over the same period in 2010—the year the industry was rocked by the temporary loss of federal tax credits. But biodiesel still represents a relative drop in the bucket of the nation's immense thirst for liquid fuel. The total of 92 million gallons of biodiesel produced in March—the best month in 2012 on record—appears miniscule next to the 4.9 billion gallons of crude...
The average price of domestic oil and gasoline will be less than previously forecast through the remainder of 2012 because of weak demand and increased world supplies, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says. The Houston Chronicle reports the price of West Texas Intermediate crude—which is used as a benchmark for domestic oil—will be about $95 a barrel through the remainder of the year. That's $11 lower than a price projection reported last month, the administration says in its latest short-term energy outlook. Gasoline prices will also be lower than previously forecast, down from $3.79 for a gallon of regular to $3.60, because of the decline in oil prices, according to the outlook. WTI prices fell dramatically from $106 a barrel on May 1 to $83 on June 1 as concerns have grown about low oil demand in a weak world economy, the administration says. Oil production has outpaced consumption so far this year, a trend that's expected to continue. Global oil and...
Ali Fini might not have the cheapest gas around, but he claimed he was selling it in mid-May at a loss of 6 cents per gallon at Tiger Express on Lee Drive to move beer and cigarettes.
The average price of a gallon of regular, unleaded gas fell by 7.3 cents in Baton Rouge over the past week, and was averaging $3.35 as of Memorial Day—30 cents lower than the national average of $3.65—according to BatonRougeGasPrices.com, a subsidiary of GasBuddy.com, which tracks average prices at cities throughout the country. The drop also brought local prices 28.9 cents lower than they were a year ago and 30.6 cents lower than a month ago. The national average dropped 15.7 cents over the past month and is down 13.4 cents compared to a year ago. The price peak for national average gas prices occurred sooner than GasBuddy.com predicted in January, happening on April 5 at $3.92 per gallon, rather than between $3.75 and $4.15. According to the website, some of the lowest gas prices in the Baton Rouge area are between $3.21 and $3.27 per gallon, while some of the highest are between $3.49 and $3.84 per gallon. Check out the website
B.R. gas prices trickle down for fifth straight week
For the fifth straight week, gas prices fell by a few cents over the past seven days, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge. As of this morning, a gallon of regular, unleaded gas was selling for an average of $3.43, down 4 cents on the week. The slow trickle down began at the end of February, when prices had been steadily rising for more than a month and a gallon of gas was selling for about 25 cents more compared to today. Last year at this time, gas was selling for $3.79 in the Baton Rouge metro area. The local average continues to remain below both the state and national average. The Louisiana average is at $3.46 at the start of April, which is 4 cents lower than a week ago, 16 cents lower than a month ago and 34 cents lower than a year ago. The U.S. average is at $3.63 this morning, down 3 cents on the week and 12 cents on the month. A year ago, the U.S. average was $3.92. You can see the complete report
Gas prices fall 4 more cents in B.R.
After steady rises throughout the first two months of the year, gas prices in Baton Rouge have now trickled down for four straight weeks, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge. As of this morning, a gallon of regular unleaded gas is selling for an average of $3.49 in Baton Rouge, down 4 cents compared to the average price a week ago. One month ago, the average local price was $3.65 per gallon, and gas is now selling for 27 cents less than it was at this time last year. The AAA Daily Fuel Gauge tracks prices in metro areas across the United States. The Louisiana average as of this morning is $3.50, down 3 cents on the week and 16 cents on the month. The U.S. average is $3.66, which is an increase of 2 cents on the week, but a decrease of 12 cents compared to a month ago. Hawaii is paying the highest average price in America, at $4.39. Wyoming motorists are paying the lowest average price in the country, $3.32. You can check out the complete report
B.R. gas prices continue to climb
Another week, another nickel. After spiking 13 cents the week previous, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas in Baton Rouge rose by another 5 cents over the past week. As of this morning, Baton Rouge motorists are paying about $3.38 a gallon. That's 17 cents more per gallon than they were paying one month ago, but it's still 6 cents cheaper compared to last year at this time. Baton Rouge's average price is now just a penny below the state average of $3.39—which is also up 5 cents on the week. The state average is also lower than the national average of $3.58, up 6 cents over the past week. U.S. average prices have climbed 27 cents over the past month and are 8 cents higher this morning than they were one year ago. You can check out the complete AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report here for gas price information from every state and major metro area in the...
B.R. gas prices continue downward trend
At $3.12, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas is 4 cents lower today than it was a week ago in Baton Rouge, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Local gas prices are now 8 cents lower than they were two weeks ago and 11 cents lower than they were a month ago. Nonetheless, they remain 2 cents higher than they were a year ago. The average price across Louisiana is at $3.14 this morning, down 5 cents on the week and 12 cents on the month—but up one penny from a year ago. Local and state averages continue to trend below the national average of $3.34 per gallon, which is down 4 cents on the week and 10 cents on the month. Yet the national average this morning is 6 cents higher than it was a year ago. You can check out the complete AAA Daily Fuel Gauge report here.
B.R. gas prices seesaw up 2 cents on the week
The average gallon of regular unleaded gas is selling for $3.20 in Baton Rouge this morning, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge. That's about 2 cents more than the average price per gallon one week ago, but 20 cents lower than it was one month ago. A year ago, gas was selling for 13 cents less per gallon than it is today. The state average this morning is $3.22 per gallon, up one penny on the week. The U.S. average, at $3.42 per gallon, is also one cent higher than it was a week ago. Baton Rouge gas prices have consistently tracked slightly below the state average in recent months and have been trending downward in recent weeks. Baton Rouge gas prices hit a historical high of $3.99 per gallon on July 18, 2008. You can check out the Daily Fuel Gauge here.
B.R. gas prices dip another 11 cents on the week
Last week marked the second in a row that Baton Rouge drivers got a pretty significant break at the gas pump. The average price of a gallon of unleaded regular gas fell 11 cents from Monday, Oct. 22, through today, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Gas prices also fell 8 cents over the week prior to that. As of this morning, Baton Rouge prices are averaging $3.37 per gallon. One month ago, the average price in Baton Rouge was $3.56 a gallon. However, today's prices are still 9 cents higher than the $3.28 per gallon motorists in Baton Rouge were paying a year ago. Nonetheless, the local average remains below the $3.39 state average and the $3.54 national average. Check out the complete Daily Fuel Gauge Report here.
Gas prices in Baton Rouge dip 8 cents on the week; expected to drop further
The average price of a gallon of unleaded regular gas has decreased 8 cents in Baton Rouge over the past week, according to AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. As of this morning, gas is selling for $3.48 a gallon in the city, down from $3.56 a week ago. One month ago, gas was selling locally for $3.62 on average. But while $3.48 a gallon might look good compared to a week or month ago, it's still 16 cents higher than the $3.32 per-gallon-average of one year ago. Baton Rouge prices today remain below the state average of $3.50 per gallon and the national average of $3.66. However, all those averages could see significant decreases in coming weeks. USA Today is reporting this morning that average gas prices across the country could fall by as much as 50 cents a gallon in the near future due to rising inventory and lower demand. "Most of the country is heading appreciably lower the next few weeks,'' says Tom Kloza, of the Oil Price Information Service, who predicts retail prices will...
B.R. gas prices rise 3 cents on the week
If you're planning on filling up in Baton Rouge today, you'll probably pay somewhere around $3.56 for a gallon of regular unleaded gas. According to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, today's average is 3 cents more than the Baton Rouge average a week ago. It's also a dime less than a month ago, but 23 cents higher than a year ago. Baton Rouge's average is 2 cents lower than the state average of $3.58 a gallon, which is 20 cents lower than the national average. Nationally, the $3.78 per gallon Americans are paying today is 3 cents less than they paid a week ago and 8 cents less than they paid a month ago—but 33 cents more than they paid a year ago. The highest average gas price in Baton Rouge was set on July 18, 2008, when a gallon of regular unleaded sold for $3.99. The U.S. average peaked a day previous at $4.11.
American drivers' pain at the pump is self-inflicted, analysis shows
Drivers in the United States feel less "pain at the pump" than all but a handful of other nations—most of which are major oil producers that heavily subsidize fuel prices. That’s the conclusion of Bloomberg’s quarterly gasoline price ranking, and one that’s at odds with the experience of many Americans. If filling the tank in the United States is as relatively inexpensive as the ranking shows, why do many Americans say it hurts so much? The gas ranking first ran in May, when U.S. gasoline prices spiked, to put some of the campaign-season economic and political debate into perspective. The pain factor is calculated by dividing a nation’s average price per gallon of gasoline by its average daily income; in other words, it’s the share of a person’s wallet needed to buy a gallon of gasoline in each country. But what this ranking doesn’t take into account is the amount of gasoline consumed. When that’s considered, a very...
Isaac brought winter-grade gas to Louisiana early
If there was going to be a drop in gasoline prices in coming weeks, as suppliers shift from summer blends to winter blends, Hurricane Isaac may have expedited the process. The onset of fall typically coincides with a small reduction in gas prices around the country as suppliers begin delivering winter-grade gas between Sept. 15 and Oct. 1. But Isaac caused the issuance of waivers in the state for early deliveries of winter-grade fuel after gas stations ran dry and refineries shut down for days after the storm landed Aug. 29, says the state Department of Environmental Quality. If service stations haven't already received winter-grade gas, then "they will be getting the winter blend when they get their next shipment," says DEQ spokesman Rodney Mallett. John Felmy, a chief economist with the American Petroleum Institute, says winter-grade gasoline is typically cheaper because it requires fewer additives to prevent evaporation and increased air pollution. However, Felmy adds that...
RaceTrac buys site at Burbank and Bluebonnet for $1.6M
RaceTrac Petroleum has acquired a prime tract of undeveloped land on the corner of Burbank Drive and Bluebonnet Boulevard, and plans to open a gas station and convenience store on the site early next year, says Mark Hebert, who represented the Atlanta, Ga.-based buyer in the transaction. The company paid $1.6 million in cash for the 80,000-square-foot property, which it purchased from Pearson Burbank LLC on Aug. 23. When completed, the new RaceTrac will be the company's 13th in the Capital Region. There are more than 500 RaceTrac stations across the Southeast. "They like Baton Rouge, and they're expanding their presence in this market," says Hebert, adding the company has another site in the area under contract and is looking at several others. While a gas station may not seem like the highest and best use for the property—which is on an increasingly busy corner across from the site of a planned Walmart—Hebert says new state regulations governing ingresses and egresses...
Gas to remain scarce, high-priced for weeks
Gas became such a high-value commodity Monday in Baton Rouge, even the most expensive gas stations were selling out of regular and premium before evening set in. LaRouge Mart on Jefferson Highway, which is listed at GasBuddy.com as selling regular gas at $3.89 over the last 48 hours, says it ran out of regular fuel by 4 p.m. The premium tapped out by 5 p.m. Lines at gas stations were commonplace throughout Baton Rouge Monday and remain so this morning. "We saw this four years ago, with [Hurricane] Gustav," says Gregg Laskoski, a senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com who is based in Tampa Bay, Fla. Exacerbating the problem, Laskoski says, is consumer panic. Buyers are topping off tanks and parking the car in the driveway—where it might sit for the duration of the storm. The average price of gas in Louisiana rose from $3.60 on Sunday to $3.65 today, Laskoski says. "I think they're going to increase because of disruptions to the supply side," Laskoski says. Refineries in the...
Summertime blues for drivers: Gas at August record
You may pay more than ever for a late-summer drive this year. As of Monday, U.S. drivers were paying an average of $3.72 per gallon—the highest price ever on this date, according to auto club AAA. That's a shade above the $3.71 average on Aug. 20, 2008. A year ago, the average was $3.57. More daily price-per-gallon records are likely over the next few weeks. The national average could increase to $3.75 per gallon by Labor Day, says Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service. By comparison, gas prices stayed below $3.70 in late August and early September in both 2008 and 2011. Retail gasoline prices have gone up about 39 cents per gallon, or 12%, since hitting a low of $3.33 on July 2, according to AAA, OPIS and Wright Express. Kloza estimates that U.S. drivers are paying $149 million more each day for gas than in early July. Analysts expect prices to drop after Labor Day, so at least drivers shouldn't have to worry about a return to the April high of $3.94...
Airlines fuel surcharges far outpaces fuel prices
If you've been pricing flights at all since the first of the year, you've probably noticed fares have been ascending. The major airlines, including Delta, United and American, have collectively attempted to raise fares at least six times this year already, and have succeeded on half of those attempts. In most instances, the airlines have pegged the increases to rising fuel prices; a line of reasoning most Americans can at least begrudgingly accept considering they rising prices they've seen at the pumps in recent years. But a new study out by corporate travel management company Carson Wagonlit Travel shows fuel surcharges—those fees that airlines say increase ticket prices to compensate for higher fuel costs—have risen twice as fast as fuel prices over the last year. Since April 2011, fuel surcharges by U.S. airlines have risen 53%, while fuel prices...
B.R. gas prices rise 7.5 cents on the week
Over the past two weeks, U.S. oil prices have regained about one-third of the $30 a barrel they lost in late June, and it appears the rebound is having an effect on end prices at the pump. The average price of a gallon of unleaded gas rose 7.5 cents on the week in Baton Rouge, according to BatonRougeGasPrices.com, a subsidiary of GasBuddy.com, which tracks average prices at 250 cities throughout the country. As of this morning, local prices were averaging $3.18 a gallon, which was still well below the $3.42 national average. Compared to a year ago this week, prices are also about 38 cents lower in Baton Rouge, and are down a little over 3 cents compared to last month. The national average has decreased about 25 cents on the year and is down 11 cents from a month ago. "Those who stuck around the low gas price party expecting it to last have realized they're out in the cold," says GasBuddy.com senior petroleum analyst Patrick DeHaan. "Oil prices are well off their recent lows, and...
U.S. biodiesel production soars, but crude is still king
Biodiesel production in the United States has surged so far in 2012, just two years after a collapse in which 52 of the nation's 170 biodiesel plants were idled. But as The Los Angeles Times reports, the fuel still has many miles to go before it becomes a significant addition to the nation's energy needs, according to Energy Department statistics. During the first quarter of 2012, which are the most recent statistics available, 241 million gallons of biodiesel were produced, the Energy Department reports. That was a 78.5% increase over the same three months in 2011, and a whopping 169% increase over the same period in 2010—the year the industry was rocked by the temporary loss of federal tax credits. But biodiesel still represents a relative drop in the bucket of the nation's immense thirst for liquid fuel. The total of 92 million gallons of biodiesel produced in March—the best month in 2012 on record—appears miniscule next to the 4.9 billion gallons of crude...
Oil, gasoline prices to fall more than forecast
The average price of domestic oil and gasoline will be less than previously forecast through the remainder of 2012 because of weak demand and increased world supplies, the U.S. Energy Information Administration says. The Houston Chronicle reports the price of West Texas Intermediate crude—which is used as a benchmark for domestic oil—will be about $95 a barrel through the remainder of the year. That's $11 lower than a price projection reported last month, the administration says in its latest short-term energy outlook. Gasoline prices will also be lower than previously forecast, down from $3.79 for a gallon of regular to $3.60, because of the decline in oil prices, according to the outlook. WTI prices fell dramatically from $106 a barrel on May 1 to $83 on June 1 as concerns have grown about low oil demand in a weak world economy, the administration says. Oil production has outpaced consumption so far this year, a trend that's expected to continue. Global oil and...
Pain at the pump
Ali Fini might not have the cheapest gas around, but he claimed he was selling it in mid-May at a loss of 6 cents per gallon at Tiger Express on Lee Drive to move beer and cigarettes.
B.R. gas prices 30 cents lower than national average
The average price of a gallon of regular, unleaded gas fell by 7.3 cents in Baton Rouge over the past week, and was averaging $3.35 as of Memorial Day—30 cents lower than the national average of $3.65—according to BatonRougeGasPrices.com, a subsidiary of GasBuddy.com, which tracks average prices at cities throughout the country. The drop also brought local prices 28.9 cents lower than they were a year ago and 30.6 cents lower than a month ago. The national average dropped 15.7 cents over the past month and is down 13.4 cents compared to a year ago. The price peak for national average gas prices occurred sooner than GasBuddy.com predicted in January, happening on April 5 at $3.92 per gallon, rather than between $3.75 and $4.15. According to the website, some of the lowest gas prices in the Baton Rouge area are between $3.21 and $3.27 per gallon, while some of the highest are between $3.49 and $3.84 per gallon. Check out the website