Gas Prices Again On The Rise

As if Connecticut didn't get enough bad news recently with word that we have the highest gas prices in the continental U.S., now comes a report that the downward trend of gas prices is coming to an end.

Gas prices nationally have gone back up by nearly a dime in the last two weeks, according to a CNN report. In Connecticut, that trend is apparent as well, with gas prices rising from an average of $3.64 for a gallon of regular a month ago to the current average of $3.81 for a gallon of regular, data from the AAA's fuel gauge report shows.

Despite months of stability at the pump, the price of crude oil -- which drives the retail cost of gasoline -- shot up about $3 a barrel in the past two weeks, closing Friday at more than $90 barrel, the CNN report says. CBS News says prices have been increasing in the days leading up to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner's meeting with European finance officials on regarding the continent's economy.

In Connecticut, the Bridgeport metropolitan area currently has the highest gas prices, with a gallon of regular selling for about $3.92 on average, AAA reports. The New Haven-Meriden area is just behind it, with a gallon of regular selling for $3.79 on average. In the New London and Hartford areas gas is selling for an average of $3.78 for a gallon of regular right now.