Updated: 12/25/2008 1:18 PM KSTP.com | Print Story
By: Art Barron

BARRON: We Minnesotans are still driving fewer miles

Pulled up the other day at BP gas station and noticed the price for a gallon of unleaded is a buck sixty nine. Wow, just a few months ago it was 4 dollars. Yet the buzz around here is that we are still driving fewer miles... translation... continued low prices, despite OPEC's efforts to cut production in an attempt to increase the price of a barrel of oil which is about 45 dollars give or take a couple bucks.

Reports indicate our consumption of gas in October was down about 3 and a half percent compared to October of 2007. We have been hurt by high gas prices, and we won't lower our guard anytime soon. So we are doing the right thing... continuing to fight back especially in these hard economic times.

I've heard experts in the field say the price of gas could fall below the one dollar mark. That may be a little too optimistic, but anything is possible. If we continue to cut back on driving, that could become a reality. Will prices ever go back up to four dollars a gallon? probably not in the immediate future.  For now we need to stay the course.

-Art