Bad news at the gas pump

In case you've been too busy dodging potholes to notice: Gasoline prices have risen the past month. Here's a quick review:

Q: Risen how much?

A: Regular unleaded gas averaged $2.81 a gallon Tuesday in Nebraska, $2.73 in Iowa, according to the AAA auto club's pump survey. A month ago that was $2.66 and $2.56, respectively. Omaha has seen a rise from $2.60 a month ago to $2.81. Nationwide: $2.76 Tuesday and $2.66 a month ago.

Q: Will we see $3 soon?

A: The U.S. Energy Department predicts that the national average will reach that mark by summer, as driving peaks. So do some private analysts. Rose White, spokeswoman for AAA Nebraska, isn't so sure. Wild cards such as weather and political tension in oil regions mean “it's just too hard to say,” but the basic factors — good supplies and flat demand — right now don't suggest $3 a gallon is coming, she said.

Q. What's driving pump prices?

A. In a word, crude. Retail gasoline is closely following oil prices, White said. Oil, in turn, has become attractive to speculators looking for safe places to invest, she said. Crude was near $82 a barrel Tuesday, about $10 higher than a month ago. Other factors pushing up oil: optimism about the economy, new tensions in oil-producing Nigeria and reports that China intends to build up its oil reserves.

Q. Gas always goes up in the spring, right?

A. Typically. Moreover, after an unusually harsh winter suppressed driving, some analysts think cabin fever has motorists itching to hit the highways. On the other hand, high national unemployment is curbing commuting and restraining discretionary driving.