Valley gas prices rise, but stay below average

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Valley gas prices rise, but stay below average Gas prices in Medford and Ashland have continued to increase significantly even though national averages haven't. The nationwide average price of regular unleaded gasoline has gone up less than a penny per gallon over the past month, holding at just below $1.70. The average in Medford and Ashland has jumped more than 10 cents during the same time period to just under $1.61. The increase in Medford and Ashland outpaces that of Oregon as a whole, though the area's prices remain the lowest of the four metropolitan regions of Oregon. The average price per gallon of the state has risen eight cents to almost $1.69. The current average price per gallon in Portland rose about seven cents to $1.66. In Eugene and Springfield it increased 10 cents to $1.65. In Salem it rose 9 cents to $1.64. Wholesale prices at under a dollar per gallon and increased gasoline inventories account for the stabilization of national averages. The highest prices in the nation are in Hawaii and California, where regular unleaded sells for an average of $2.02 and $2.00, respectively. Oregon's average price still ranks among the lowest nationwide.   Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.