ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT

Price of Gasoline Drops Sharply: The price of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline fell 2.9 cents per gallon this week to $1.103, the steepest change of the year, the American Automobile Assn. said. The price had moved more than 2 cents only one other time in 1992, when it fell 2.1 cents on July 7. The nationwide average price started the year at $1.097 per gallon. Mid-grade unleaded also fell 2.9 cents, to $1.203 per gallon. Premium unleaded was down 2.7 cents to $1.291 per gallon. AAA’s report was based on a nationwide spot check of gasoline stations, known as its Fuel Gauge Report.