Rose Rougeau Quotations

The jump in retail gas prices is partly due to the seasonal production switch from winter- to summer-grade gasoline, which usually brings higher prices as output is temporarily reduced.

We've heard of increases in Texas as high as 50 cents a gallon overnight following Hurricane Katrina.

Higher gas prices will not deter Texans from traveling this holiday. Nearly 5.1 million Texans are expected to travel for the Christmas - New Year's holiday, up 1.4 percent from last year. When you factor in hotel and rental car rates, gasoline remains a relatively small part of most family travel budgets.

For the past month, gasoline prices have fallen as inventories of gas and crude oil continued to show a healthy surplus compared to last year. Motorists can expect to see relative price stability for the next couple of weeks.

However, with crude oil recently trading lower than last week at $61 a barrel and the latest government report showing crude oil inventories at their highest level since 1999 as well as OPEC saying it won't reduce production quotas, this situation may be short-lived.

That is far more than we would expect given their rate of licensure.

Retail gasoline prices have moved higher against a backdrop of increased crude oil prices. A year ago, crude oil traded at $49 a barrel and gas prices averaged $1.792--49 cents lower than the current average of $2.283. This week, crude hovers around $66 a barrel.

Retail gasoline prices have gone up 15 cents in the past two weeks. The increases can be traced to investor speculation leading to higher prices for both crude and wholesale gasoline. With crude trading around $64 a barrel, it doesn't appear likely gasoline will fall below $2 a gallon anytime soon.

These recent decreases at the pumps are more likely to be temporary. The U.S. concerns over Iran's nuclear ambitions and violence in Nigeria have kept the price of crude above $65 a barrel -- a level not seen since the hurricanes of 2005. If crude continues to stay at this level, motorists will continue to pay high prices at the pumps.

These documents are often marketed as a way for people to drive without obtaining a valid license, or to continue driving if their government-issued license has been suspended or revoked, or as a way to avoid driver's education.