LABOR DAY GAS PRICES ON RISE WAITING TO BUY MEANS HIGHER COST.Byline: JULIA M. SCOTT Staff Writer You might get away with packing your suitcase at the last minute, but waiting to fill up at the gas pump this 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. could cost you. Prices could creep up Verb 1. creep up - advance stealthily or unnoticed; "Age creeps up on you" sneak up advance, march on, move on, progress, pass on, go on - move forward, also in the metaphorical sense; "Time marches on" as much as 20 cents per gallon in the 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. area as Monday's holiday nears, said Mary Welge, editor for the trade publication Oil Price Information Service. ``You're going to see a pop-up in demand and a pop-up in prices,'' Welge said. The upward crawl could start as early as Thursday. Consistently high gas prices this summer don't leave much room for increases, experts said. But high demand combined with world events threaten to keep the cost of crude oil, which refineries convert into gasoline, at record highs. The U.N. has threatened sanctions if Iran, which has one of the biggest crude oil reserves Oil reserves refer to portions of oil in place that are claimed to be recoverable under economic constraints. Oil in the ground is not a "reserve" unless it is claimed to be economically recoverable, since as the oil is extracted, the cost of recovery increases incrementally in the world, refuses to suspend its nuclear program by Thursday. Worries about violence in the Middle East or a major hurricane could lead to supply anxiety that would jack up prices. The good news is that the spike won't stick around. If past years are any indication, however, they won't return to earlier levels. The nationwide average for a gallon of regular gas measured Aug. 1 each year has more than doubled in the past five years, from $1.39 in 2002 to $2.96 this year. In some years, the Years, The the seven decades of Eleanor Pargiter’s life. [Br. Lit.: Benét, 1109] See : Time average price jumped as much as 64 cents. ``It seems as though everything is combined to really keep the market consistently strong,'' Welge said. Thrifty drivers who want to find rock-bottom prices will find resources online. Both losangelesgasprices.com and gaspricewatch.com list stations with the area's lowest prices as reported by customers. Southern Californians have endured brutal gas tabs this summer. The average price for unleaded gas in Los Angeles on Tuesday was $3.14, slightly higher than the statewide average of $3.11, 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. Elaine Beno, spokeswoman for the AAA AAA: see American Automobile Association. (Triple A) A common single-cell battery used in a myriad of electronic devices of all variety. Like its double A (AA) cousin, it provides 1.5 volts of DC power. When used in series, the voltage is multiplied. branch of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . Despite the pounding at the pump, driving remains a relatively cheap mode of transportation. ``The road trip is still the most the economical way to travel,'' Beno said. Plenty of folks will be on the roads this holiday weekend, traditionally the last summer vacation Summer vacation (also called summer holidays or summer break) is a vacation in the summertime between school years in which students are off for 3 months, depending on the country and district. before school starts. More than 3 million Southern Californians will travel Labor Day weekend and the vast majority will get to their destination by car, Beno said. Roughly 2.5 million will drive at least 50 miles and about 500,000 will fly, according to Beno. Les Devitt said gas prices were not high enough to deter him from a golf vacation in Monterey, about 350 miles from his home in Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga (răn`chō k  'kəmäng`gə), city (1990 pop. 101,409), San Bernardino co., S Calif. . Devitt, 55, considered flying but the pricey air ticket,
combined with a car rental, convinced him that driving the entire way
was optimal.
``The gas is what it is,'' said Devitt as he filled up his silver Porsche Cayenne. On Monday, the station was charging $3.17 a gallon for regular, $3.27 for plus, and $3.37 for supreme. ``We're still getting better prices than the Europeans.'' julia.scott(at)dailynews.com (818) 713-3735 CAPTION(S): photo, chart Photo: (color) Laura Kopecky of North Hills pumps gas priced at $2.99 a gallon into her vehicle in Northridge on Tuesday. David Sprague/Staff Photographer Chart: Gas prices up SOURCE: Oil Price Information Service |
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