Southland Gas Prices Edge Up This Month

Southern Californians are paying an average of $1.187 for a gallon of regular unleaded self-serve gasoline, up slightly from last month and about the same as the rest of the state, the Automobile Club of Southern California will announce today.

Nationwide, the average price is $1.055 a gallon, down from the October average of $1.066, the American Automobile Assn. said Tuesday. AAA releases a fuel report every month, but the Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest affiliate of AAA, began reporting gasoline prices only last month.

Separately, the Energy Information Administration said Tuesday that oil and gasoline prices will remain low for most of the next decade. Oil won’t rise above $20 a barrel until 2006, the EIA said.

Oil prices are expected to average $12.37 a barrel this year, compared with the average price of $21.01 in 1996.

The Auto Club found its most expensive Southern California gasoline in Blythe at $1.315 a gallon for regular self-serve unleaded. The cheapest, in La Habra, is $1.098 a gallon.

The Auto Club’s “Fuel Gauge Report” is based on data from 2,800 Southern California gasoline stations gathered by Oil Price Information Service.