Saturday, May 27, 2000
Drivers dig deep to pay for fuel
Average is $1.54; no relief in sight
By Sarah Anne Wright
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Here's some bad news as you begin the Memorial Day break: American motorists this holiday weekend will likely be paying more for gasoline than at any time in the nation's history.
In Greater Cincinnati, drivers will pay an average $1.54 for a gallon of self-serve regular gas, up 12 cents in just a month, according to AAA Cincinnati spokeswoman Jennifer Ladonne.
Consumers may wince at the bill, but it's actually just two cents higher than the national average and much better than in other places. They're paying $1.85 in Chicago. And overseas, the British are paying more than $4.50 per gallon.
The prices are pinching some Tristate travelers.
“I can't stand it,“ said Christina Smith of Dayton, Ky. “It's robbing us. You can't go anywhere.”
The surge may undermine the Smith family's plan to drive to Florida in July, she said. Mrs. Smith usually would budget $200 for gasoline, but she estimates she'll pay $300 to $350 this year.
Nationwide, gasoline inventories are the lowest in decades, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries continues to keep a tight rein on oil production. Also, the government is requiring in many major cities a new type of gasoline that is more environmentally friendly but more expensive.
Experts expect prices to stay high throughout the summer, and some are not ruling out the possibility of shortages in some cities.
“Although prices go up, you just have to bite the bullet,“ said Jonathan Cogan, spokesman for the U.S. Energy Department.
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