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Gas prices keep braking, AAA says
Regular, midgrade and premium fall about a penny, diesel by two cents; average gallon at $2.613.
October 25, 2005: 8:09 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - From regular unleaded to premium, gasoline prices fell across the board Tuesday, and even diesel prices dropped by more than two cents, according to travel club AAA's daily fuel report.

The nationwide average price for a gallon of regular unleaded hit $2.613, down from Monday's price of $2.624.

The average price for regular unleaded was more than 14 percent lower than when it hit a record high of $3.05 on Labor Day in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Retail diesel retreated from its all-time high Tuesday, falling two cents to $3.218 a gallon from Monday's price of $3.239. Diesel prices are up about 45 percent from last year.

Gas prices have steadily fallen during the past two weeks on signs that soaring energy prices are finally starting to curb consumption.

According to a separate survey published Sunday, the average price of self-serve regular gasoline in the United States fell more than 25 cents during the past two weeks to $2.66, marking its biggest decline in 50 years.

"The drop is mostly from refining capacity comeback and, to a lesser degree, lower demand," said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the Lundberg Survey, which compared prices tallied Oct. 21 and Oct. 7 at about 5,000 gas stations in all 50 states.

AAA's daily fuel pricing survey reported that residents pay the most in Hawaii, where the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded was $3.105. They pay the least in Oklahoma, where $2.240 was the average price Monday.

Midgrade gasoline prices fell by less than a penny Tuesday to $2.776 a gallon, while the cost of premium unleaded fell to $2.876 a gallon from Monday's price of $2.886.

U.S. government data released last Wednesday showed that demand for all petroleum products fell 3.2 percent from the same period last year, a bigger drop than last week's 2.8 percent. The report said demand for gasoline fell 2.2 percent and demand for distillates dropped 4 percent.

Although the price of regular unleaded has moved off its highs and is starting to track downward, prices are still stronger than a year ago. At that time, the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was about 59 cents cheaper at $2.017, according to AAA.

Analysts say gas prices are falling as the U.S., the world's biggest user of fuel, puts the brakes on consumption. However, many expect prices to rebound as winter approaches.

-- from staff and wire reports

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