Gasoline prices increase locally

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Washington-area gasoline prices have crept up by about 15 cents per gallon in the past month, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

A gallon of regular gas in the metropolitan area cost $2.38 yesterday, compared with $2.23 a month ago. Nationally, the average price was $2.32, climbing 11 cents since mid-December.

The increase comes several weeks after gas prices reached their lowest point since Hurricane Katrina -- on Dec. 6, the average price dropped to $2.14 in the Washington area and $2.15 across the country -- as analysts credit the combined pressures of a seasonal increase in demand and the price of crude oil, which closed Friday at $63.92 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

"After the hurricanes, gasoline prices dropped pretty dramatically. They dropped along with crude-oil prices but a lot of that spike was in gasoline itself because of the shortfall of the refineries shutting down," said Mike Burdette, an analyst for the federal Energy Information Administration.

"As the refineries came back online and inputs made up the difference -- and more importantly, we dropped into the season between summer and Christmas [which typically sees a drop in demand] -- gas prices fell accordingly."

The price of gasoline normally climbs during the winter as households rely on heating fuel for warmth, pushing up the price of crude oil. But, because of a mild winter so far, pump prices have not climbed as much this year, Mr. Burdette said.

"Right now, here we are in winter but with spring temperatures," he said, adding that early attention to the spring gasoline market and international situations in Iran, Iraq and Nigeria are pressuring crude-oil prices.

Crude futures in London rose 77 cents to $63.03 yesterday after another attack on an oil platform in Nigeria, and Iran warned that any sanctions imposed on the country's nuclear program could send oil prices even higher. U.S. trading was closed for Martin Luther King Day.

"Of course, people think gasoline prices are high, but what they have to recognize is we are sitting on top of $64 crude oil. That really is the genesis of most of this bounceback that we're having," he said.

While filling up her tank yesterday at the Pinecrest Exxon on Little River Turnpike in Alexandria, Diane Petruso of Annandale said she tries to save money by stringing together her errands.