The latest state survey finds gas prices in Iowa have dropped 12-cents a gallon in the past month. David Downing, a fuel price analyst for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says prices are down because demand is lower than normal. Crude oil prices are much lower than usual, too. Last year crude oil was 34 dollars a barrel, while this year it’s 18 or 19 dollars a barrel.Gas prices today are 36-cents lower per gallon than at this time last year. The state survey found the average price for a gallon of self-serve unleadedwas a dollar-13. Some Iowa stations are selling gas for a dollar-three, and Downing says there’s a chance the price will drop below a dollar soon because of the impact that crude oil has.Heating oil is selling for just under a dollar a gallon — a quarter below the price at this time last year. Propane is selling for about 86 cents per gallon — 12 cents less than a year ago today.
