Gasoline Price Drops 41 Cents in One Month

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County fell Tuesday to its lowest amount since Feb. 16, dropping 1.6 cents to $3.972.

The average price has decreased for 34 consecutive days and is 13.2 cents lower than one week ago and 41.1 cents below one month ago, though it's 5.7 cents higher than one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.

• For the lowest current gasoline prices in the Northridge, Chatsworth and Porter Ranch area, click the Commute tab at the top of this page.

The Orange County average price also decreased Tuesday for the 34th consecutive day, falling 1.1 cents to $3.926, its lowest amount since Feb. 15.

The Orange County average price is 12.8 cents less than one week ago and 43.2 cents lower than one month ago but 3.4 cents higher than one year ago.

The decreasing pump prices are the result of lower crude oil prices, caused by soft demand and economic concerns in the United States and abroad, according to Jeffrey Spring of the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Crude oil costs account for two-thirds to three-quarters of the price of a gallon of gasoline, said Tupper Hull of the Western States Petroleum Association, a trade association representing oil companies in six western states.

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