But heading into the Labor Day weekend, Utah still has the nation's third-highest gasoline prices, tied with Montana and behind only Alaska and Hawaii, which always have high gas prices because of their remote locations. Utah's average remains 28 cents higher than the national average.
So it's no surprise that travel-services agency AAA Utah is estimating that about 270,000 Utahns - 1.8 percent less than last year - will take the the roads this holiday weekend. (The agency estimates that an additional 56,000 Utahns will fly over the weekend, down 3.4 percent from 2007.)
"When people's budgets are tight, that's when you see the amount they travel go down," said AAA's Rolayne Fairclough.
AAA estimates that of the $826 the average Utah household will spend to travel over the Labor Day weekend, as much as $177, or about 20 percent, will go just to fuel.
Gasoline prices certainly are squeezing the budgets of many families. Though the average cost of a gallon of unleaded gasoline in Utah is off its high of $4.22 per gallon, Utah's average remains $1.18 per gallon higher than last year.
Hamstrung with rising utility costs, rising rents and higher food costs, some Utah families are so hard-pressed for cash they are turning to food pantries and other forms of assistance for help getting by.
Higher-income families are cutting back, as well, especially on travel. Those who are still heading out by land and air, Fairclough said, are cutting back the length of their trips and trying to economize.
"People still want to do something, but they don't want to spend as much."
Many Utahns are still trying to understand why the state's gasoline prices remain so high. It's been more than two weeks since Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. announced he would be looking at Utah's high gasoline prices with a "laser-like focus."
The governor said the state Agriculture Department will step up its monitoring of gas sales through its weights and measures program to ensure consumers are getting the right amount of gasoline from station pumps. And the state's Department of Commerce will heighten its review of any complaints alleging deceptive sales practices.
On Wednesday, Huntsman spokeswoman Lisa Roskelley said that "those agencies are continuing to do what they do," but she would not elaborate.
She said there hasn't been any "information or evidence" to support a gasoline-price conspiracy by station owners and refinery operators.
"I've heard from some folks who believe there is price-fixing and collusion going on and who want us to do a full-blown investigation," said Francine Giani, director of the Utah Department of Commerce. "But we aren't going to do that. The challenge is that we don't have subpoena powers."
Nearly two years ago, when prices also were comparatively high, Giani was asked to investigate. But when most refineries operators and gas station owners refused to cooperate, she could not reach any real conclusion, though she said stations owners did appear to be engaging in profit-taking.
Giani said the state attorney general's office would have more power to conduct a complete investigation but she has not pushed for such an action.
Pump prices vary, of course, based on a number of factors, such as the cost of transporting fuel to stations, state taxes and proximity to refineries. Competition and demand for gasoline are other factors. A couple of weeks ago, John Hill, state director of the Utah Petroleum Marketers and Retailers Association, conceded that sustained higher prices were linked to individual station owners "making a little more than usual." In recent days Hill has said stations aren't enjoying above-average profits any longer. He suggested that local refineries may be providing refined fuel at higher costs than other areas.
lesley@sltrib.com
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* For help finding the lowest gasoline prices go to www.utahgasprices.com or www.saltlakegasprices.com.
* Utah's average gas price in comparison with other states can be found at AAA Utah's www.fuelgaugereport.com/sbsavg.asp.
