NATION : Motorists Buying Less Gasoline

NEW YORK — American motorists, facing higher pump prices, are buying less gasoline than last year, a U.S. government agency reports.

The Energy Information Administration today reported that demand for the four weeks ending June 9 averaged 0.2% less than the same period in 1988--7.432 million barrels a day versus 7.450 million barrels.

For the year to date, the Energy Information Administration, a unit of the Energy Department in Washington, said its figures show demand is a minuscule 0.1% above last year. The agency had estimated that U.S. gasoline consumption would rise 1.3% in 1989 to an average 7.41 million barrels a day, compared to last year’s 7.31 million barrels.

Gasoline pump prices have risen nearly 20 cents a gallon on an average nationwide in recent months.