Gas at El Cajon station jumps to $3.19 - Price is $1.07 higher than across the street

www.signonsandiego.com By Brian Hazle UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER March 13, 2003

EL CAJON – While gasoline prices have risen steadily throughout the county, one station's prices rocketed out of this world yesterday.

The Texaco gas station at Greenfield Drive and East Main Street inexplicably raised the price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas to $3.19 – $1.07 higher than another station across the street.

The station advertised its "Power Plus" fuel for $3.79 and charged $4.29 for "Power Premium."

Understandably, fewer cars stopped at the station than at nearby pumps, but some customers paid the price.

"I have no choice, I have to get gas," said Jeanne Cooney as she fueled her SUV. "I didn't want to run out of gas."

Employees at the station said the owner had ordered the price increases. They also said the owner, whom they refused to identify, would hold a news conference at 6 p.m. yesterday, but the person didn't show up.

The prospect of war with Iraq and interruptions in crude-oil shipments from Venezuela have pushed the average per-gallon cost of regular unleaded gasoline in the United States to $1.71, according to the Energy Information Administration, which keeps statistics for the Energy Department.

In San Diego County, a survey by the Utility Consumers' Action Network found that the average price in the county Tuesday was $2.14 a gallon.

A year ago, the average price for gas in the county was $1.34.

"Prices have risen by a penny per day on average since February 24," UCAN's Web site says.

Analysts predict prices will continue to increase as refineries retool to make cleaner-burning summer fuel blends and produce fuel with ethanol instead of MTBE.

Last week, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., asked the General Accounting Office to look into allegations that oil companies are shutting down more refineries than usual this season with the possible intention of spiking prices.

Besides calling for a GAO probe, Boxer also sent letters to the chief executive officers of the seven largest refining companies in California.

The letters requested information on the number of hours that the companies' refineries were off-line from November through last month, compared with the same period a year earlier.

Brian Hazle: (619) 593-4955; brian.hazle@uniontrib.com