Price of gasoline drops below $4 a gallon
Motorists agreed that it seemed odd to be happy to see the price of a gallon of gasoline dip bellow $4 — a threshold many do not believe should have ever been crossed.
"Rich getting richer," said Dennis Carter of Chico, who was filling up his utility truck at a Willows station this week.
"I keep hearing that the demand for gasoline is way down, but prices have been going up because of speculation on Wall Street and war in the Middle East. What happened to supply and demand economics?," Carter said. "I can't wait to see what happens if Israel starts duking it out with their neighbors."
Carter, 64, is happy to see the prices fall, but otherwise sounds a lot like other motorists who were asked about the cost of fuel: "It is politics of the rich."
Over the last month, however, prices have dipped in every Northern California AAA survey area by more than 80 cents, and the forecast is for the price to continue to slide.
"Lower crude oil prices, the seasonal switch from summer to winter blend, and reduced demand have added to the recent downward pressure on retail gasoline prices," AAA spokeswoman Cynthia Harris said in a statement.
"With continued signs of global economic weakness and a somewhat stronger US dollar, crude oil prices have continued to move lower."
The average price of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Northern California is $3.82, down 81 cents from last month, according to the AAA survey released this week. No area so a decrease of less than 69 cents.
The statewide average is down 82 cents to $3.85, AAA reported. The national price of unleaded regular gasoline, $3.44.
Among all 50 states, Hawaii has the highest average price at $4.41. New York has the highest price, $3.99, in the lower 48 states.
Missouri enjoy the lowest average price, $3.10. The highest price of gasoline in the nation's metro areas is in Wailuku, Hawaii, at $4.29 per gallon.
AAA predicts that the national average price will be between $3.25 and $3.40 by Thanksgiving, and $3.10 to $3.30 by the end of the year.
The travel firm did not offer a prediction for California or the North State.
In Northern California, the cheapest gas was found in Modesto, where regular is $3.65 per gallon in that metro area.
The Marysville area reported an average price of $3,73, down 85 cents, while the Chico area reported a price of $3.76, down 78 cents, and Redding was at $3.87, down 72 cents.
Yreka has the highest average price of $3.99 in Northern California.
