Prices nationally have climbed 14 cents since early November, but at a less accelerated pace here.

AAA Utah reported that regular unleaded gasoline averaged $2.29 a gallon in the state, up 27 cents from last year but only up 5 cents since mid-November.

As usual, prices are cheaper in the state's urban areas, averaging $2.25 in Salt Lake City/Ogden and $2.24 in Provo/Orem.

Nationally, gasoline prices were most expensive last week on the West Coast, averaging $2.579 per gallon, and cheapest in the Gulf Coast region, averaging $2.213 per gallon, according to the federal government.

The price of oil is down roughly $17 since a summertime peak above $78 a barrel.

Average retail gasoline prices peaked at $3.07 a gallon in September 2005, reflecting the extreme tightness in the market after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, which knocked out refineries in the Gulf region, as well as pipelines that deliver fuel to the East Coast and Midwest.

They remained high all year - and surpassed $3 again last summer - amid soaring crude-oil prices, tight refinery capacity and fears that there would be another extreme hurricane season.

But supplies grew and hurricane fears never materialized, and a massive sell-off in gasoline futures began, sending oil futures lower.