State Gasoline Prices Climb for 4th Week

California’s average pump price for gasoline rose for the fourth straight week, climbing 3.8 cents a gallon in the week ended Monday, a federal survey showed.

The average retail price for self-serve regular in the state increased to $2.091 a gallon from $2.053 the previous week, leaving gas 22.3 cents higher than a year earlier, the Energy Department said.

Prices have been climbing on the heels of recent increases in crude oil prices and seasonal maintenance at California refineries. But the average is still 31.1 cents, or 13%, below the record high $2.402 a gallon it reached in the week ended Oct. 18.

Nationwide, the average price slipped below $1.90 a gallon, losing 1.1 cents to $1.898 a gallon, the agency’s Energy Information Administration reported.

-- James F. Peltz