Gas prices expected to jump up

While some Midwesterners are already paying a dollar-60 for a gallon of gas, Iowans are still enjoying relatively low prices by comparison. David Downing, a data analyst for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says Y-2-K fears are paying off for us now.Iowa wholesalers and retailers who stocked up on gas supplies last month still have a lot of leftover fuel, meaning prices are lower. Downing says Iowans are seeing lower prices than most other Americans.While the most recent survey found the average Iowan is paying about a dollar-21 for a gallon of gas, the nationwide average is a dollar-27. Downing says Iowa’s stockpile of Y-2-K gas won’t last much longer and prices will soon rise.Downing says the way things are going with oil-producing nations, gas prices in Iowa could rise as high as a dollar-50 by the end of this year.