The Fat Cats Are At It Again!!!

[Adidas410s]

'They're going up'
One motorist observes gasoline prices always rise before a holiday

By Jason Sheehan / sheehanj@reporternews.com
June 30, 2006

Terry Juarez wasn't on empty when he pulled up to the gasoline pumps at H-E-B during the lunch hour Thursday.

But, he decided to top his tank anyway.




''They're going up,'' Juarez said, referring to gas prices. ''It seems like they always go up before a holiday.''

With the July 4th holiday near, gas prices are again something to fear.

Prices earlier in the week were around $2.50 a gallon for regular unleaded fuel. Juarez paid $2.65 a gallon at H-E-B, a steal compared with a Skinny's convenience store two blocks away that sold a gallon at $2.75.

The average retail price of regular gasoline nationwide was $2.87 a gallon, according to the Associated Press. In Texas, the current average retail price is $2.80 a gallon, 67 cents higher than motorists paid one year ago.

John Thacker, chairman of Western Marketing, a gasoline distributor in Tye, said gas prices are rising for one simple reason.

''With crude (oil) prices as high as they are, gasoline prices are going to stay high,'' Thacker said. ''If crude oil reaches $75 a barrel, they're going to go even higher.''

Oil prices climbed more than $1 dollar on Thursday, reaching $73. 35 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the AP reported.

Thacker said that after factoring costs and taxes, he paid $2.74 for a gallon of gasoline on Thursday. He sold it for $2.749 at his three gas stations.

''We (gasoline distributors) buy the product at a quoted price,'' he said. ''We don't have any control over it.''

The Texas Attorney's General's Office has received some calls about the cost of gasoline and continues to monitor the market, said spokeswoman Angela Hale.

Thacker said until the price of crude oil drops, consumers will continue to see higher gas prices.

It is a fact that Terry Juarez has come to accept.

''There's not much we can do about it,'' he said. ''If you want to go anywhere, you've got to have gas.''



TODAY

2.756

is the average price of gas in Abilene. National average today is 2.873.

LAST WEEK

2.621

is the average price of gas in Abilene. National average last week was 2.849.

IN THE LAST YEAR

2.132

is the average price of gas in Abilene. National average this time last year was 2.212

[IHS Fan]

in ingleside, gas was 2.49 tuesday morning. today it's 2.79.

[wedo]

Its ridiculous, I have to save money just to have gas to go school and the junior college i go to is in the same town i live in!! I love to go fishing but i can't afford the gas to make it to Matagorda. Its crazy how gas can really run your life, when you have to cut back on the things you like to do. When just a year and a half ago i could go anywhere without counting how much gas money i have!!!! Man it ticks me off!!!!

[Adidas410s]

I am flying to Lubbock today and my flight was $106 on Southwest including taxes. In gas I would have paid about $140...and my car gets 30+ mpg on the highway!

I'll take the $40 and go buy some beers! Plus I save 4-5 hours each way by flying instead of driving.

[Phil C]

When they go down the prices will go down much more slower than when they went up.

[pirate44]

i cant wait till i go buy me another VW bug. i hope i can find a 1976, like my first one. great cars and great on gas. the bad thing is, my old one took "regular" leaded gas. since they dont have that anymore, i wonder if i would have to buy an additive