It turns out that fuel price records—like all other records—are made to be broken. Even as survey results from Monday indicated new Missouri record average prices for gas and diesel fuels, many Missourians have already seen local prices go even higher, according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources’ Energy Center.

Surveys taken May 5 of service stations throughout Missouri found an average price of $3.44 per gallon, a record that was up 8 percent from a month ago and 17 percent from a year ago, according to the Energy Center’s biweekly Energy Bulletin.

Diesel fuel users were also looking at record high prices on Monday, with the state average for diesel reaching $4.07, an increase of 5 percent over last month and 47 percent over the same time last year.

Record fuels prices are a reflection of record crude oil prices. Crude oil prices broke a new record Wednesday with futures for June delivery on the New York Mercantile Exchange settling at $123.53 per barrel, up 11 percent over last month and 101 percent over the same period in 2007.

While individual consumers can do little to affect the price of transportation fuels, each person can affect the amount of fuel he uses. The Energy Center has information on how to cut fuel usage on its Web page, http://www.dnr.mo.gov/energy/savinggreen.htm.

The complete Energy Bulletin for May 9 is available online at http://www.dnr.mo.gov/energy/transportation/docs/eb050908.pdf. The department’s bimonthly energy bulletins are available online at http://www.dnr.mo.gov/energy/transportation/fb.htm.

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