(Source: The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.))
By Tracy Eddy, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.
Dec. 10--Bob Cole, of Morgantown, can remember saying, years ago, "If gas gets over 50 cents a gallon, I quit."
But Cole, 66, never did and he also remembers shelling out more than $4 a gallon for gas a couple of years ago, when prices were at their highest.
Right now, he's paying a little more than $3 a gallon for gas. Some weeks he has to fill up three or four times.
"You learn to live with it," he said. "It's like anything else, I guess."
Gas prices have been creeping up again. Several gas stations in Morgantown were charging $3.08 or $3.09 for a gallon of regular gas Thursday.
Bevi Powell, AAA East Central spokeswoman, said the average price of gas in West Virginia is $3.03. And the average price in the U.S. is $2.97.
Some people believe the increase is related to the holiday season, but Powell said that's not the case. In fact, prices at the pumps are never more than $3 a gallon at Christmas, she said. The price of gas mimics the price of crude oil.
During the summer, crude oil costs between $65 and $75 a barrel, Powell said.
Now, Powell said crude oil costs have increased to about $89 a barrel, she said, so gas prices have gone up to reflect that increase. Abby Lantz, of Reedsville, said she was surprised to see the prices listed on a Sheetz sign Thursday.
"I just noticed it when I pulled in," she said. "I was like, 'Oh my gosh!' "
But she needs gasoline, she said. In order to keep the cost under control, she puts only about $20 worth in her car's tank at a time.
The nation's highest gas prices can be found in Hawaii, where drivers are paying $3.54 a gallon, Powell said. Colorado has the lowest gas prices, at $2.70 a gallon.
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