Gas prices creep up again
Published 12:04 am Friday, July 15, 2011
Earlier this summer, residents felt a little relief in the wallet when it came time to buy gas, but that reprieve is over.
Natio-nally, prices have inc-reased 9 cents in the last week, according to AAA.
“Crude oil prices have been bumping up slightly over the past couple of weeks due in large part to the ‘economic uncertainty’ in various parts of the world, including China and the U.S,” said Clay Ingram, AAA spokesman. “China is suffering through some pretty serious inflation issues and this has helped create some volatility in the oil market in recent weeks.”
Locally, gas is up 10 cents from last week in Andalusia.
The average price is currently $3.53 per gallon for regular unleaded.
In Florala, gas is up 6 cents from last week at $3.59 for unleaded, and Opp is up 8 cents from last week at $3.49 per gallon.
The cheapest places to purchase gasoline in the county are the Jr. Food Mart and Tom Thumb stores in Opp, where gas is $3.38 per gallon, according to AAA reports.
Despite the increases, Ingram said the chances of soaring gas prices isn’t imminent.
“It doesn’t appear that we are headed for any major increases, as this bump in crude prices will likely turn around in the coming weeks,” he said. “This market volatility is causing oil prices to jump and drop quite a bit, but this should calm down soon, as our demand is much less than it usually is this time of year and overall supply is very solid.”