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Motor Fuel Price and Supply Information


Prices for the Week of October 26, 2009

City

Regular

Midgrade

Premium

Diesel

Flagstaff

2.64

2.71

2.79

2.85

Phoenix

2.53

2.64

2.77

2.79

Tucson

2.32

2.42

2.53

2.75

U.S.

2.77

2.91

2.99

2.81

Source: OPIS & EIA


Prices for the Week of October 26, 2009

City

Regular

Midgrade

Premium

Diesel

Kingman

2.59

2.72

2.87

2.80

Show Low

2.54

2.64

  2.79

2.79

Sierra Vista

2.35

2.38

  2.51

2.71

Yuma

2.58

2.66

 2.74

2.75

Source: OPIS


Prices continue to increase for all AZ and US Retail Gasoline and Diesel Fuels as winter approaches
For the week of October 26, 2009 gasoline prices are up 9.3 cents, up 7.8 cents, and up 4.5 cents for Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff, at 252.7, 232.1 and 264.2 cents per gallon respectively compared to the prior week. U.S. regular retail gasoline prices increased by 2.2 cents compared to the same time period of the prior week to 276.6 cents per gallon. The current price quoted is 24.1 cents higher than this time last year.

Weekly Phoenix diesel fuel prices increased by 7.3 cents from the prior week at 279.0 cents per gallon compared to the same period of the previous week. Tucson diesel prices increased by 6.9 cents to 275.3 cents per gallon compared to the prior week. And Flagstaff diesel fuel prices increased 9.5 cents from the prior week at 284.7 cents per gallon for the week ending October 26, 2009. U.S. diesel fuel pricing increased by 0.7 cents as compared to the same time-period of the previous week to 280.8 cents per gallon. Compared to last year at this time diesel fuel prices for the U.S. are lower by 28.0 cents compared to this time last year.

To view weekly gasoline and diesel prices plus graphs of Arizona cities, click on the city name in the tables above.


Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook
The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration released an updated Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuel Outlook. Click here to view information.                                                    

This Week In Petroleum
Source: Energy Information Administration
Released on November 4, 2009

Proved Reserves of Crude Oil Fall in 2008, Reflecting Low End-of-Year Prices
The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) U.S. Crude Oil, Natural Gas, and Natural Gas Liquids Proved Reserves, 2008 reports that proved reserves of crude oil fell by more than 10 percent in 2008, primarily because of low end-of-year prices used to estimate proved reserves, even though discoveries of crude oil rose for the third year in a row. In contrast, proved reserves of natural gas rose by 3 percent in 2008, despite low end-of-year prices.

Proved reserves are those volumes that geological and engineering data demonstrate with reasonable certainty to be recoverable from known reservoirs under existing economic and operating conditions. Under Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rules in effect since 1982, operators assessed their 2008 proved reserves based on the market price on the last day of the year.

Crude Oil.
The end-of-year crude oil price for 2008 - $44.60 per barrel for West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil - was less than half the end-of-year price for 2007 - $95.95 per barrel. As a result, operators reported record negative net revisions of more than 2 billion barrels to their proved reserves estimates, more than they produced during the year.

Under updated SEC rules issued in 2008 that take effect in 2010, operators will instead use an annual average of first-day-of-the-month prices to develop their reserves estimates. This average price will be less sensitive to volatility in prices. The SEC's new rules would have shown an increase in oil prices from $71.79 per barrel in 2007 to $101.63 per barrel in 2008, a 42 percent price increase rather than the significant decline operators actually used. Under the new rules, there would likely have been a smaller drop (or possibly even an increase) in crude oil proved reserves.

Despite the record negative revisions to proved crude oil reserves, 2008 saw a drilling boom in the first half of the year and an increase in new discoveries of crude oil for the year. One notable source of increased discoveries was North Dakota (167 million barrels), representing rapid proved reserves growth in the Bakken shale and the underlying Three Forks formation. Operators can produce oil from the Bakken using the same horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing techniques used so widely for natural gas shale production. (Note, however, that the production of oil from the layers of shale like those in the Bakken Formation is not the same as the extraction of oil from oil shale plays. See This Week In Petroleum, March 4, 2009.)

Natural Gas. Proved reserves of natural gas rose by 3 percent in 2008, despite relatively weak year-end prices. This followed a 13 percent increase in 2007. Proved reserves stood at 245 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) at the end of 2008, the highest level in the 32 years that EIA has collected these data. In both years, growth in proved reserves was due largely to continued development of unconventional natural gas from shales.

Total discoveries amounted to 29.5 Tcf, more than enough to offset both production and negative net revisions that arose largely from low year-end prices. Most discoveries were reported as “extensions.” This reflects the fact that the bulk of proved reserves additions occur after the initial discovery of a field or reservoir, as further exploration extends the original boundary.

U.S. Average Gasoline and Diesel Prices Move Up

The U.S. average retail price for regular gasoline gained 2 cents this week to reach $2.694 per gallon, the highest level this year. This surpassed the previous 2009 weekly high of $2.691 per gallon seen on June 22. The national average is now $0.29 per gallon higher than it was a year ago. Prices increased in all regions of the country. In the Rocky Mountains, the average increased three cents to $2.61 per gallon. The price rose roughly two cents in each of the other major regions, from one and a half cents in the Midwest and Gulf Coast to a bit over two cents in the East Coast and the West Coast. Prices ranged from a low of $2.56 in the Gulf Coast to a high of $2.91 in the West Coast. The average in California was essentially unchanged at $2.99 per gallon.

The national average price of diesel fuel inched up about a penny to $2.81 per gallon. Despite a cumulative increase over the past four weeks of $0.23 per gallon, the average remains $0.28 per gallon below a year ago. Prices increased in most regions of the country. The average on the East Coast went up about two cents to $2.83 per gallon. The Gulf Coast and West Coast prices edged up about a penny to $2.75 and $2.91 per gallon, respectively. In California, the average rose about a penny to $2.97 per gallon. The Rocky Mountains experienced the largest increase, moving up more than three cents to $2.81 per gallon. At $2.79 per gallon, the price in the Midwest was essentially unchanged, slipping less than half a cent. 
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STATE INFORMATION
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SmartWay Campaign - The campaign encourages consumers to “buy smart” simply by looking for the EPA SmartWay certification mark on cars and trucks when shopping for a new or used vehicle.

Drive $marter Challenge Campaign -Effective money- and gas-saving tips and resources aimed at keeping more money in the driver's
pockets and decreasing the number of trips to the pumps. Click here for more information. 

Public Transportation Options in Your Community


 

In the News
New Hybrid Cab Company Opens in Mesa
[Arizona Republic, Oct. 30]
Exxon, Majors Battle to Lift Profits as Oil Use Sags (Update1)
[Bloomberg, Oct. 30]
Carmakers Back More Fuel Economy, but Seek Flexibility
[USA Today, Oct. 21]
Clean Diesel Program is Clear Success, Says US EPA
[Environmental News Network, Oct. 21
As Hybrid Buses Get Cheaper, Cities Fill Their Fleets
[New York Times, Oct. 20]
Toyota Launches New Hybrid, Honda Warms to Electric
[Environmental News Network, Oct. 20]

More News Links

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