AAA TEXAS: Weekend Gas Watch; Fuel Prices On the Upswing

    HOUSTON--Dec. 27, 2002--Gasoline prices are on the upswing, increasing nearly a nickel within the past week, according to the Weekend Gas Watch, compiled by AAA Texas. The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline at popular destinations for motoring trips.
    The Texas average for a gallon of regular self-serve fuel is currently $1.35 a gallon -- up four cents since last week. The Corpus Christi area saw a significant increase of more than seven cents to $1.31 a gallon -- that average is still the lowest in Texas. San Antonio and the Austin - San Marcos area rose more than five cents a gallon. Both cities average $1.33 a gallon. Dallas, Fort Worth and the Houston area all top the list at $1.35 a gallon -- up more than three cents within the past week.
    "We typically see gas prices decrease following the Christmas - New Year's holiday due to a decrease in demand," said Rose Rougeau, spokesperson for AAA Texas. "However, prices are rising, in part because ongoing tensions between the United States and Iraq have pushed crude oil prices higher."

	   Average prices as of 12:01 a.m., Dec. 27, 2002:

Area                     Regular       Change          Record Price
----                     -------       ------          ------------
Austin - San Marcos      $1.324      +5.3 cents      $1.538 (5/15/01)
Corpus Christi           $1.309      +7.2 cents      $1.505 (5/8/01)
Dallas                   $1.354      +3.0 cents      $1.666 (5/12/01)
Ft. Worth                $1.345      +3.8 cents      $1.660 (5/22/01)
Houston                  $1.350      +3.3 cents      $1.639 (5/12/01)
San Antonio              $1.324      +5.2 cents      $1.498 (5/9/01)

    AAA Texas, LLC, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance, travel agency, financial products, automotive products, trip planning services and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' Web site at www.aaa-texas.com.