DISCOUNTERS' GAS PRICES KEEP CLIMBING.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer As gasoline prices soar, motorists can't even find relief from discounters that usually offer prices well below those of the major oil companies. Thrifty, USA and others that normally sell cut-price gas are facing short supplies in the wholesale market because of the refinery problems that have sent prices at the pump skyrocketing to their highest levels ever. ``Independent gasoline stations are at a greater disadvantage right now because wholesale prices have gone up quite rapidly in the last couple of weeks,'' said Fred Rozell, retail pricing director for the Oil Price Information Service. ``And many of these retailers are not making money as a result of spending more at the rack.'' Because of reduced supplies, the average price of regular gasoline was $2.124 per gallon in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. on Tuesday, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California was founded December 13, 1900 in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first motor clubs dedicated to improving roads, proposing traffic laws and improvement of overall driving conditions. . A survey of 10 stations across the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. showed an average of $2.076 Tuesday. ``Just like the old adage, gasoline shoots up like a rocket and comes down like a feather,'' said wholesaler Bob van der Valk Van der Valk was a British television series made by Thames Television for the ITV network. It starred Barry Foster in the title role as Dutch detective Commissaris Piet van der Valk. of Santa Fe Santa Fe, city, Argentina Santa Fe, city (1991 pop. 341,000), capital of Santa Fe prov., NE Argentina, a river port near the Paraná, with which it is connected by canal. Springs-based Cosby Oil. The wholesale price of gasoline was as high as $1.70 last week, though Valk said the price has now fallen 30 cents in some cases. The price jump stems from refinery breakdowns in California and a ruptured oil pipeline in Arizona. The rift in the Kinder Morgan Kinder Morgan Inc. NYSE: KMI is an American energy company. It is also, through a subsidiary, the general partner of and owner of many of the interests in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners, a publicly traded pipeline and terminal limited partnership. Energy Partners' Tucson-to-Phoenix pipeline caused California refiners to divert 138,000 barrels daily to Arizona, 38,000 barrels more than usual, to ease the shortage, according to the California Energy Commission The California Energy Commission is California’s primary energy policy and planning agency. Created in 1974 and headquartered in Sacramento, the Commission has responsibility for activities that include forecasting future energy needs, promoting energy efficiency through . A recent heat wave in Europe also put a kink in supply levels as many gasoline imports were redirected to alleviate the problem there. But Rozell said gasoline has been flowing to California without a hitch in the past couple of days. ``And while prices may not decline as quickly before Labor Day Labor Day, holiday celebrated in the United States and Canada on the first Monday in September to honor the laborer. It was inaugurated by the Knights of Labor in 1882 and made a national holiday by the U.S. Congress in 1894. , people should start seeing things Seeing Things may refer to:
BP, the parent company of Arco and Thrifty, declined to provide information regarding their prices. The recent spike at the rack has been particularly taxing for USA Petroleum of Agoura Hills. The independent company has been losing money for the past month amid mounting wholesale prices. ``The wholesale price has been real tough on us. We were losing about 20 to 25 cents a gallon at the pump,'' said Mark Conant, USA's president. ``But I think things are starting to change though and we should be pricing more like an independent very soon.'' Companies like USA generally begin to profit as gasoline prices decline because they don't have the same financial constraints as larger companies and are able to lower their prices faster. Conant said he's confident his bottom line will improve now that the Arizona pipeline has been repaired and refiners are churning out enough gas to replenish supply levels. That's good news to Katherine Castro, 22, who usually fills up her Mustang at the USA station on the corner of Tampa Avenue and Parthenia Street in Northridge. Regular gasoline was priced at $2.05 on Tuesday. ``I fill up here depending on how much I have in my wallet,'' she said. ``I'm here today for that reason and the fact that this station is more convenient. Hopefully prices will continue to drop before the weekend.'' Evan Pondel, (818) 713-3662 evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): photo Photo: (color) Gasoline pump prices Tuesday at a Thrifty station, left, are higher than those at major retailer Chevron across the street at Shoup Avenue and Ventura Boulevard Ventura Boulevard is one of the primary east-west thouroughfares in the San Fernando Valley; as it was originally a part of the El Camino Real (the trail between Spanish missions), Ventura Boulevard is the oldest route in the San Fernando Valley. It was also U.S. in Woodland Hills. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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