Gasoline prices are again bounding into record territory in Iowa. The statewide average is just below a dollar-90 a gallon and an energy analyst at the Iowa D-N-R predicts parts of the state may see gas selling at two-dollars a gallon by next week. Triple-A-Iowa’s Dawn Duffy says one factor contributing to the price spike is a recent comment by an OPEC oil minister.Duffy says “He said that oil prices could go up to 80-dollars a barrel should something happen on the production side. I think that right now, with oil prices at 53-dollars a barrel, that is a huge jump and it’s causing a lot of fear in the industry.” Many Iowa gas stations saw prices leap a dime-a-gallon this week. Besides the OPEC minister’s comments, Duffy blames something else for the latest jump in prices. She says “We are in a typical season phase right now of when you switch from winter-grade fuel to summer-grade fuel. During this time, a lot of refineries do their maintenance, so it’s a very volatile time.” Triple-A says the current statewide average for gas is a dollar-89. That price is 24-cents a gallon higher than a year ago.
