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Hernando Today

Price Disparity At The Pumps

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: September 19, 2008

WEEKI WACHEE - Driving those extra miles searching for cheaper gas might pay off this week.

A 12-mile drive from South Broad Street in Brooksville to Deltona Boulevard in Spring Hill could save you nearly 39 cents per gallon.

The disparity between the cheapest to the most expensive gas is wider than it has been in recent memory due to the mad scramble to resume refinery capacity following Hurricane Ike.

"It's correcting itself fairly quickly," said AAA Auto Club South spokesman Greg Laskoski. "We're seeing incremental improvements each day."

The storm, which reached the Texas coastline the morning of Sept. 13, halted 14 refineries in Houston and Galveston. The damage was not severe, but the platforms were evacuated.

It usually takes up to two weeks for operations to return to normal, even when damage is minimal, Laskoski said.

The national average for a gallon of regular gas was $3.83 as of Thursday morning. That was two cents lower than the day before.

Pump prices at some local stations have lowered by double digits since Wednesday.

To offset the lack of productivity coming from the Gulf shore refineries, 20 ships filled with gasoline came to the U.S. from Europe, Laskoski said.

Now that refineries are properly manned and productivity is approaching normal levels, the declining trend in gas prices could continue for the foreseeable future.

"We could see significant improvements, especially if the dollar can hold on to the gains it has made in the last few months," Laskoski said.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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