Pump Prices Rise Slightly Post Labor Day Travel   

Phoenix, Ariz., September 6, 2007 – Labor Day weekend has come and gone along with its accompanying increase in demand for fuel as motorists across the country enjoyed their last three-day weekend of the summer. As a result of the holiday weekend’s increased road activity and demand for gasoline, fuel prices across the state and country have slightly increased over the last week. Across the state, drivers are currently paying $2.617 for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline, an increase of just under a penny from last week. The national average is currently sitting at $2.807 per gallon, an increase of nearly four cents over last week. East Valley and Peoria drivers are tied for the state’s lowest fuel price at $2.521 per gallon, while Flagstaff drivers continue to pay the most in the state at $2.817 per gallon.

Now that the summer auto vacation season is over, Arizona is approximately one month away from switching to its easier to produce winter blend of fuel from its cleaner burning summer boutique blend. Since there is generally less demand for gasoline during the fall and winter months and winter blends of fuel are easier to produce, motorists across the state generally experience the lowest fuel prices of the year from October through February. However, the next break Arizona motorists experience at the pump could take a little longer than anticipated. This week, hurricane experts from Colorado State University announced that they are forecasting the remaining three months of hurricane season to be much more active than normal. The experts anticipate that September will likely produce five named storms, four of which are likely to become hurricanes. The team also forecasts an additional five storms to surface during October and November.

“As we continue into the ‘heart’ of hurricane season, it is likely that the price drops we have enjoyed over the last three months will begin to slow,” said Linda Gorman, public affairs manager for AAA Arizona. “However, if our fuel supply remains unaffected by the forecasted storms, pump prices could move lower over the next few weeks.”

The cheapest gasoline in the continental U.S. is in New Jersey, where unleaded regular is $2.542 per gallon. North Dakota has the highest priced gasoline in the country at $3.188 per gallon. Motorists can visit www.az.aaa.com/news for the latest fuel price information and gas saving tips and click on “Fuel Price Finder” to locate the station with the cheapest gas in their neighborhood or along their commute route.  They can also visit AAA’s Fuel Cost Calculator at www.fuelcostcalculator.com, which can help drivers plan out their fuel costs so they can budget their travel expenses in advance.

AAA Arizona’s Weekly Fuel Gauge includes data from gasoline stations in every Arizona community. However, only major metropolitan areas are shown in the table above.  Local prices in some communities might be higher or lower than the averages shown here.