U.S. gasoline price soars past $3 a gallon: government

A customer looks at the price of gasoline as she fuels up her car at a gas station in South Beach, Miami, January 2, 2008. U.S. retail gasoline prices soared past $3 a gallon for the first time in four weeks, following a steep rise in crude oil costs, the government said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. retail gasoline prices soared past $3 a gallon for the first time in four weeks, following a steep rise in crude oil costs, the government said on Tuesday.

The national price for regular unleaded gasoline jumped 8.2 cents over the last week to an average $3.04 a gallon, up 75 cents from a year ago, the Energy Information Administration said in its weekly survey of service stations.

The higher pump prices reflect rising crude oil costs, which hit a record $100.10 a barrel on Tuesday at the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The price of oil accounts for about two-thirds of the cost of making gasoline. Pump prices are likely to go even higher as the expensive crude is passed on to consumers and driving picks up heading into the spring.

In the EIA's latest weekly survey, gasoline was the most expensive on the West Coast, at $3.14 a gallon, up 7.7 cents. Among major cities, San Francisco had the highest price at $3.30, up 10.6 cents.

The Gulf Coast states had the cheapest regional price at $2.94 a gallon, up 9 cents. Houston had the most affordable city gasoline at $2.87 a gallon, up 5.8 cents.

The EIA also reported gasoline prices were up 11.9 cents at $3.17 in Chicago, up 8.1 cents to $3.16 in Los Angeles, up 7.8 cents at $3.16 in Miami, up 11.2 cents at $3.13 in Seattle, up 3.6 cents at $3.03 in New York City, up 0.8 cent at $2.94 in Boston and up 3.2 cents at $2.90 in Denver.

Separately, the price truckers paid for diesel fuel soared 11.6 cents in the last week to $3.40 a gallon, the highest level in 11 weeks and up 91 cents from a year ago.

The New England states had the most expensive diesel at $3.59 a gallon, up 4.6 cents. The Rocky Mountain states had the most affordable diesel at $3.35, up 8.6 cents.

(Reporting by Tom Doggett)