News Release No. 419

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES SURVEY FINDS GAS PRICES DOWN FROM SEPTEMBER RECORDS, DECREASED DEMAND CITED

Volume 33-419

Contact: Larry Archer

(For immediate release)

573-751-3807

JEFFERSON CITY, MO, OCT. 7, 2005 -- While still 56 percent higher than this time last year, Missouri retail gasoline prices have receded from September's record highs, due in part to decreased consumer demand, according to a survey conducted by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Energy Center.

The Energy Center reported the findings of the survey, conducted on Monday (Oct. 3), in the Oct. 6 Energy Bulletin. The survey found Missouri's retail price for regular gasoline at $2.87 per gallon, down 15.7 cents from last month's record high of almost $3.03 per gallon. Diesel failed to follow gasoline's lead, increasing 21.6 cents from last month to $3.01, an 8 percent increase over last month and a 53 percent increase over the same time last year.

The return of additional gulf coast production and a decline in consumer demand were both cited as contributors to the drop in price in gasoline prices. Consumer demand, dampened by the high gas prices, fell 2.6 percent compared to the same time last year. Lower domestic supplies and production levels combined to push diesel prices up.

The Energy Center's bimonthly fuels survey polled a selection of service stations throughout the state on the price of regular unleaded gasoline, diesel fuel, B-20 biodiesel fuel and E-85 ethanol. The department's bimonthly energy bulletins are available online from the department's Web page at www.dnr.mo.gov/energy/transportation/fb.htm. The Oct. 6 Missouri Energy Bulletin is available at www.dnr.mo.gov/energy/transportation/eb100605.pdf.

For more information, contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Energy Center at 573-751-3443 or the department toll free at 800-361-4827.

For news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

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