Gas prices keep climbing

By: Leean Tupper Oak Ridge Staff
leean.tupper@oakridger.com

$2.27, $2.28, $2.35, $2.45. You might think that's what you would pay for a magazine, a beer at a local restaurant, a cheap pack of cigarettes, or a soda at the movies. But, think again - that was the cost of one gallon of gasoline at various gas stations in Oak Ridge and Oliver Springs around 10:30 a.m. Friday.

Tim Lennon, chief financial officer for The Hollingsworth Companies (owner of Git-n-Go Markets) in Clinton, said he thinks the continuing rise in prices of gasoline will hurt people and businesses.

Around 9 a.m. Friday, Git-n-Go raised its price to $2.38 per gallon. On Aug. 5, the cost was
$2.29 per gallon, Lennon said.

"Any time prices get up this high, it's not good for any business, because people have to pay for gas, rather than having money for movies and lunches out. As it continues to rise, I think everybody pays the price, including us, because we have less money for inventory inside the store," Lennon said.

With talk flying nationwide about the possibility of seeing $3 per gallon of gasoline before the summer's end, Lennon said it wouldn't surprise him if that happens here.

"This time last year, we were looking at $1.75 (per gallon)," he said.

"They're going up and we've got no control over it," said Steve Kirkham, owner of Rocky Top Markets. "We just got an 8-cent per gallon increase from our supplier overnight. It's gone up 25 cents in the last two weeks," he said. "I don't like it for us and I don't like it for our customers."
On Friday the average price of one gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in Knoxville was $2.25; up 4 cents from two days before, according to Barbara Valentine in the public relations department for AAA of East Tennessee.

"The Knoxville area is the cheapest of any area across the state," Valentine said Friday morning.
"Analysts say jitters about possible oil supply interruptions in Iran and Saudi Arabia, plus refinery problems in the United States have pushed both oil and gasoline prices to new records," Don Lindsey, who oversees AAA of East Tennessee, said in last week's "Fuel Gauge Report."
Valentine said gasoline prices in Chattanooga on Friday were $2.296; Memphis was $2.297; Nashville was $2.306. "It's a record high," she said.

AAA of East Tennessee recommends that drivers make sure their cars are in good shape, use public transit systems where possible, and combine trips to reduce gasoline use.