The average retail price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States declined slightly in the last two weeks on flat demand, according to the latest nationwide Lundberg survey. The national average price for self-serve regular unleaded gas was $2.8879 per gallon on June 23, a decline of about 4.5 cents per gallon in the past two weeks. The Lundberg survey of about 7,000 gas stations has followed the price of gasoline rise 73-cent rise since late December 2005 until it peaked at $2.9473 per gallon on May 5. “At current prices, demand is not growing, [but] it's not shrinking either,” said survey author Trilby Lundberg in an interview. Lundberg said the price could rise in coming weeks and months if the price of crude oil stays above $70 per barrel. Another major factor in the future price of gasoline will be the demand for and future cost of ethanol, which is increasingly being used a non-polluting additive, Lundberg said. Honolulu, Hawaii had the highest average price for self-serve regular gas at $3.26 a gallon, while the lowest price was $2.61 a gallon in Charleston, South Carolina.
