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Local gas prices dip below $2 a gallon

Friday, November 21, 2008 6:38 PM PST

By Erik Olson

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This summer, $2 gallon of gas seemed as obsolete as the horse and buggy.

But the price of oil plummeted as the worldwide economy stalled, and local motorists are hoofing it to stations to buy gas for under $2 for the first time in three years.

“It’s nice to have gas down again, especially since I have a big car like this,” said Gladys White, who just finished filling up her 1987 Lincoln Town Car with $1.99 a gallon gas at Miller’s Market on Washington Way Thursday afternoon.

The average price of regular unleaded fuel in the Longview/ Kelso area is still hovering around $2.08, nearly a dollar below the local average last October. And it’s now less than half the mid-summer average of $4.30 per gallon.

At least two stations — Miller’s Market and Beachway Market on Ocean Beach Highway — dropped prices below the $2 mark Tuesday, according to Internet price-tracking sources.

Statewide, the average price of gas of regular unleaded gasoline was $2.17 this week, more than a dollar down from a the $3.25 average year ago, according to AAA. The Oregon average was the same, falling 99 cents from last year, according to AAA.

Gas prices have fallen steadily since the hurricane season, and the rapid collapse of the worldwide economy fooled most oil industry analysts, who predicted prices could rise as high as $5 per gallon, said Marie Dodds, spokeswoman for AAA Oregon.

The price of crude oil dropped below $50 Thursday, nearly a four-year low. Crude prices are down 66 percent from the record high of $147 per gallon on July 11.

Fuel consumption dropped as prices rose this year, but consumption is unlikely to go back up, Dodds said. Nationwide, the number of motorists traveling more than 50 miles for Thanksgiving is expected to drop 1.4 percent from last year — the first decline since 2002, according to AAA.

“We did learn our lesson, and I don’t think Americans are going to rush back and resume their gas-guzzling ways,” Dodds said.

Back at Miller’s Market in Longview, retired logger Darell Erickson doesn’t see himself changing his driving habits just because prices have plunged. However, with the price down to $1.99 per gallon, Erickson filled up his 1997 Dodge pickup, which gets about 14 miles per gallon, instead of his more fuel-efficient Suzuki.

White, 60, lives on a fixed income, so she doesn’t drive that much anyway. The temporary relief allows her to go visit a friend in the Tacoma area, but she expects the gas prices won’t stay this low forever.

“I just hope that it doesn’t go way up,” White said.

Click here for a list of the area's lowest fuel prices

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mom of four wrote on Nov 21, 2008 12:48 AM:

" YES! FINALLY! "

feistyone wrote on Nov 21, 2008 5:57 AM:

" It's about time and to think I was complaining about $1.89 two years ago. "

Lucky7 wrote on Nov 21, 2008 7:02 AM:

" This is great to see, but the damage has already been done. "

concerned wrote on Nov 21, 2008 8:03 AM:

" Its about times, gas prices never should have been so high. The only reason they were so high are these oil tycoons who felt they needed more money in their pockets. "

Pinky wrote on Nov 21, 2008 8:09 AM:

" Whoo-hoo... "

Beer&Skittles wrote on Nov 21, 2008 8:28 AM:

" ...and at the AMPM on Ocean Beach Hwy, as of last night. Hello deflation! Hold on to your hats folks. "

No Nickname wrote on Nov 21, 2008 8:30 AM:

" Wilcox and Flegel (Wilson Oil) will make sure we are still paying 20-30 cents extra than other cities in Washington. I love monopolies! "

WorkingClass wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:27 AM:

" Whoopie! Cheap gas! Too bad 20% of us will soon be out of work. Just wait for the coming tsunami of foreclosures related to job loss not subprime ARM resets. It will make the last year look like good times. Dow 4000 here we come! BTW a major local employer announced today that it is cutting a shift plant wide. The Reaper is upon us... "

Cowlitz1 wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:30 AM:

" Great. Now we can go back to buying large inefficient vehicles, continuing wasteful driving practices, maintain inefficient traffic control throughout Longview, and completely ignore mass transit. That is, until the OPEC production cuts reinflate gas prices and we all wonder why we didn't change when we could. Ignorance is bliss. "

MillCreekMommy wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:45 AM:

" re: Cowlitz1

I don't think that will be the case. The use of gas is still going down even as gas prices do. I don't think ANYONE wants to see $5 gas again anytime soon. I know my family keeps commuting together and making shared trips to the market and such. Not everyone will learn but most of us have. I have a 4 Cyl. and a V8. Guess which one I'm STILL driving? The V8 is my toy, I only play with it occasionally to keep it still running. I encourage people to do as my family are doing and keep the consumption down. Then you won't pay later. "

MillCreekMommy wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:46 AM:

" P.S. I see that TDN is still not giving the Washington Way Shell station it's due. It's the one who has been driving the prices down all along. Watch that puppy, you will see. "

ratkins wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:47 AM:

" Get it while you can cause it won't last! "

Dookie Lumpkins wrote on Nov 21, 2008 11:37 AM:

" WOW! Finally! I felt bad for the meth addicts incurring higher transportation costs when looking for copper wire. "

clay1976 wrote on Nov 21, 2008 11:55 AM:

" Filled up for $1.99/gal. at the Shell on Washington Way yesterday! What a bargain. "

dingbat wrote on Nov 21, 2008 12:40 PM:

" $1.95 if you pay with cash at the station across the street from Fred Meyer...I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! It felt strange when the pump kept going and going and going when I only spent 20 bucks! "

Kalama Dude wrote on Nov 21, 2008 12:48 PM:

" Hear hear for the trusty Wa Way Shell, the old Exxon place. We should all reward them for driving the prices down around here for months now. IF you are at Tennent and Oregon go the extra mile to save many dollars and reward those that help us in the long run. Thanks again and keep it coming. I feel like a Sunday drive this weekend to keep the good time rolling. "

longview citizen wrote on Nov 21, 2008 1:11 PM:

" Washington way shell DOES NOT get fuel through Wilcox (wilson oil) and their owner is taking a lower percentage right now to help the community out that is why the prices are so much lower. It is nice to hear an owner wanting to help the community out. "

Tom wrote on Nov 21, 2008 1:53 PM:

" My assumption is that this is a calculated political move by the Republican force to lower the prices at the last minute and jack them back up in a few months after Democrats take control. With a combination this and necessary gas taxes, it will be very easy to blame the future administration. The wealthy oil companies are taking a hit, of course, but it is a calculated plan to use the future hike against the Democratic party in the next election. "

bmoc wrote on Nov 21, 2008 3:29 PM:

" anyone notice how they decided to switch the recipients of the $700 billion bailout. First it was for paying off the banks' bad loans. The day before Bush leaves office the whole sum is going to Exxon. "

Lucky7 wrote on Nov 21, 2008 9:59 PM:

" Beer&skittles hit the nail on the head! Rapid deflation isn't a good economic indicator. Might seem good... It's not! If it's only one sector like oil, we'd be ok. Problem is... it's not. I've got 3 financial people in my family. One an 86 year old retired bank president, another a CPA, and the last an investment "guru" as he calls himself. I trust the investment guru very much. He advised me to pull out of the markets in early September. I only pulled out 1/2. The interesting thing is the banker who is the oldest by a pretty wide margin is 100% set that our economy is in free fall and we'll be in a worldwide Depression by the 3rd quarter of 09. The accountant says no depression but national unemployment rates around 9 or 10% will likely be here by the 2nd quarter of 09, and if any of the Big 3 auto makers fail, God help us. The investor starts off by saying were in uncharted territory and he's not sure where we're headed. But if he had to guess 09 will see our GDP shrink in all quarters with a super slow recovery starting in the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 10. I'm really hoping there's a 4th option! The thing that's clear is were headed downhill fast. The question is where's the bottom of the hill? "

turkeyhunterman wrote on Nov 22, 2008 7:19 AM:

" Did a fact check on Tom's and bmoc's comments. They scored a zero! Nice try though. "

Westsider wrote on Nov 22, 2008 10:19 AM:

" It's called "Beachway Gas and Grocery". Not "Beachway Market". Also, the Daily News missed a fascinating story of how they charge one price for cash and another for credit and how another unnamed competitor in the area tried to make life miserable for them by calling the state inspectors to look at the pumps. The stickers at the pumps are all marked November 2008. "

Westsider wrote on Nov 22, 2008 10:22 AM:

" Crude oil is measured in barrels, not gallons, Erik Olsen. Crude's price hit 147 per barrel, not gallon. "

Amazed By Ignorance wrote on Nov 22, 2008 12:43 PM:

" No pleasing some people. Instead of complaining...enjoy the moment, even if it proves to be a brief one. Fill up...and take a nice long drive in the rains. "

bucketball wrote on Nov 22, 2008 3:06 PM:

" The only reason gas prices are dropping is because of talk from the future Obama administration of researching and development of alternative fuels. Gas spikes in price every 10-12 years on average and everytime it happens there is talk of alternative fuels. Then it mysteriously drops in price again and the alternative fuel idea gets put back in the box. It happened in the 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, and now recently. This time, us citizens cannot allow them to put alternative energy ideas back or in the future we will see even higher gas prices than we did last summer. When prices do drop they never go back as low as they were originally. "

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