Lower gas prices this year? Maybe not

Hank Silverberg, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – You may feel like you’re paying less for gas this year, but it will probably even out by the end of 2012.

“Year to date, we’re probably on course to spend about as much as last year, which was the highest year on record,” says Tom Kloza from the Oil Prince Information Service.

Gas prices in the D.C. area checked in at a average of $3.51 per gallon of unleaded this week, up three cents from last week, the fourth week of an upward trend, according to the weekly survey from AAA Mid-Atlantic.

That’s still down 23 cents from a year ago. Kloza says prices will probably drop again after Labor Day, the traditional end of the summer driving season.

“What probably softened the blow this summer is that people were prepared for $4 and $5 and $6 dollar prices, because of of the rhetoric got out of hand,” says Kloza.

He says gas prices have nothing to do with elections and more to do with the world economy.

Current and past gas prices from AAA

Current Week Ago Year Ago
D.C. Metro $3.51 $3.48 $3.74
D.C. Only $3.73 $3.71 $3.92
National $3.49 $3.47 $3.71

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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