Local News
Gas prices lower in surrounding areas
By David Lazenby
davidl@cullmantimes.com
Frugal motorists traveling this weekend may want to wait to fill up their tanks.
Lower petroleum prices can be found in Huntsville, Decatur, Laceys Springs, Priceville and Hartselle, according to a Web site that tracks national gas prices, www. GasBuddy.com.
The Internet site stated at least one station in these north Alabama communities have the lowest priced gas in the state — $3.79 per gallon of unleaded fuel.
According to the Web site, gas was available Wednesday for this price at select Kangaroo, Jet-Pep, RaceWay and Wavaho stations.
However, going out of town does not guarantee motorists will spend less on fuel; Several Huntsville and Decatur gas stations were selling gas on Tuesday for as much as $3.99, according to the Web site.
The Web site reported prices in Birmingham range from $3.80 a gallon to $4.09 — the national average price according to a recent Associated Press story.
The story reported the average price for regular gas purchased in Alabama is $3.94 per gallon — $1.10 more than the price this time last year.
Regular unleaded gas sold in Cullman ranges in price from $3.87 to $3.99 — the price at several Cullman gas stations.
One of the most expensive places to buy gas in the state is Auburn.
According to www.GasBuddy.com, four stations in the southeastern Alabama college town sell gas for $4.09 per gallon.
Richard Saba, an Auburn University associate professor of economics, said variables that determine gas prices include proximity to interstate highways and convenience
“I think a lot of it has to do with the traffic. Here in Auburn when you get close to the university, prices go up,” Saba said. “If you get on the interstate prices they are higher,” he said.
For those who choose to fill up in Cullman County, part of their cost will be used to pay for paving, repairing, maintaining and resurfacing county roads.
Cullman County Administrator Gary Teichmiller authored a report on revenue from the 1-cent per gallon county gasoline tax that state the county’s revenue from the tax in fiscal year 2006 was $73,630.
Teichmiller said current figures indicate this income is going down because although most are spending more money at the pumps, they are buying fewer gallons of gas.
County roads, as well as bridges, also benefit from a local sales tax which contributes $100,008 each year toward that effort.
Saba said the prices Americans are currently paying for fuel is significantly lower than the cost in many industrialized nations.
“They’re still a quite a bit lower than other parts of the world,” he said about the prices, noting motorists in Britain pay about $10 per gallon.
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