AAA Texas: Gas Prices Continue Steady Decline

| Source: AAA Texas AAA Texas

HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwire - December 4, 2008) - As Texans focus on budgeting for holiday spending they will find gas prices are about $1.20 less than they were this time last year, according to AAA Texas Weekend Gas Watch.

The average price of regular unleaded gasoline fell 6 cents statewide compared to last week, from $1.755 to $1.695 a gallon. The national average price fell by nearly 8 cents from $1.868 to $1.789.

Amarillo continues to offer travelers the least expensive gas in the state at an average of $1.573. The state's highest price is in El Paso at $1.807 -- a decline of 12 cents from last week.

Houston, at $1.645, fell by more than 5 cents since last week. Dallas is reporting a price of $1.676 a gallon, which also saw a weekly decrease of more than 5 cents.

"As the price of oil continues to fall, motorists are reaping the benefit in the form of dramatically lower prices," said AAA-Texas spokesperson Sarah Schimmer. "There's no way to know how low they will go, but obviously labor, manufacturing, shipping costs and taxes will still be passed along to drivers in the cost of gas."

Light, sweet crude oil, which reached a record price of $147.27 a barrel on July 11, is currently trading around $44 to $49. 

                         1 Week                            Record   Record
                Current    Ago    Differ- Year Ago Differ-   High    High
Area            12/03/08 11/26/08  ence   12/03/07  ence     Date   Price
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
National        $  1.789 $  1.868  -0.079 $  3.044  -1.255 07/17/08 $ 4.114
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
State           $  1.695 $  1.755  -0.060 $  2.913  -1.218 07/17/08 $ 3.985
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Amarillo        $  1.573 $  1.667  -0.094 $  2.966  -1.393 07/16/08 $ 3.983
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Austin-San
 Marcos         $  1.750 $  1.816  -0.066 $  2.965  -1.215 07/17/08 $ 3.975
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Beaumont        $  1.727 $  1.789  -0.062 $  2.913  -1.186 07/16/08 $ 4.001
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Corpus Christi  $  1.624 $  1.684  -0.060 $  2.869  -1.245 07/15/08 $ 3.960
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Dallas          $  1.676 $  1.733  -0.057 $  2.888  -1.212 07/16/08 $ 3.983
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
El Paso         $  1.807 $  1.927  -0.120 $  2.938  -1.131 07/17/08 $ 3.967
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Ft. Worth       $  1.674 $  1.731  -0.057 $  2.865  -1.191 07/16/08 $ 3.975
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Galveston       $  1.678 $  1.733  -0.055 $  2.885  -1.207 07/14/08 $ 3.968
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Houston         $  1.645 $  1.699  -0.054 $  2.874  -1.229 07/17/08 $ 3.960
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
San Antonio     $  1.711 $  1.777  -0.066 $  2.929  -1.218 07/16/08 $ 3.957
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======
Texarkana (TX
 Only)          $  1.682 $  1.699  -0.017 $  2.976  -1.294 07/17/08 $ 3.981
                ======== ======== ======= ======== ======= ======== =======

Contact Information: Contacts: Dan Ronan - Statewide/Dallas Ronan.dan@aaa-texas.com danronan@sprint.blackberry.net 469-221-8217 office 469-583-7070 cell Sarah Schimmer - Houston Schimmer.sarah@aaa-texas.com 713-284-6552 office 281-797-7886 cell