Fuel Tracker

The roller coaster ride continues in the petroleum market. Gasoline fell by a record amount for the second week in a row, as prices continued to normalize from the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile, the New York Mercantile Exchange reported the largest one-day rise in crude oil futures prices ever, in anticipation of the effects of Hurricane Rita on refineries in Texas. The fluctuation accentuates how vulnerable the market is to disruptions of any kind, due to the inability of supply to keep up with demand. Above is a chart of local prices. The U.S. average price of gasoline per gallon as of Sept. 19 was $2.79, down 17 cents from Sept. 12. The cost of crude oil per barrel as of Sept. 16 was $62.91, down $1.30 from Sept. 9.