Fall brings lower gas prices at the pump

Paula Wolfson, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – There is less pain at the pump these days.

Gas prices, both locally and nationally, are finally going down.

AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average price for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline dropped 7 cents in the last week to $3.66. Nationally, the price fell 9 cents to $3.68.

Gas prices usually go down in the fall because there is less demand after the summer driving season. But this year, the drop is about a month late due to a series of pipeline and refinery problems that sent gasoline supplies plummeting.

“The great news is they are going down now,” says Lon Anderson of AAA Mid- Atlantic, “They are doing what they should be doing this time of year.”

The bad news is Washington area prices are still 22 cents above where they were at this time last year.

But Anderson says he expects further reductions in the weeks ahead.

“Our prices should be falling for the next couple months barring any international incidents that would heavily impact the price of crude on the world market,” he says.

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(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

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