Today’s national average price for a gallon of gasoline is $4.08, down 3 cents change from last week. One year ago, the price was $2.87. The New York State average is $4.18, down 4 cents from last week. A year ago, the NYS average was $2.89. AAA Western and Central New York (AAA WCNY) reports the following averages:

• Batavia - $4.23 (down 5 cents from last week)
• Buffalo - $4.23 (down 5 cents from last week)
• Elmira - $4.13 (down 4 cents from last week)
• Ithaca - $4.19 (down 2 cents from last week)
• Rochester - $4.27 (down 3 cents from last week)
• Rome - $4.22 (down 2 cents from last week)
• Syracuse - $4.21 (down 4 cents from last week)
• Watertown - $4.24 (down 4 cents from last week)

In the past week, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has decreased by three cents. This morning, oil prices are $106 per barrel — up six cents since last week. Prices had dropped earlier this month after domestic crude stocks increased by 2.5 million barrels, followed by announcements that 180 million barrels would be released from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve over the next six months and the International Energy Agency would release 120 million barrels from its emergency reserves. The announcement has helped ease some supply concerns, initially pushing crude prices lower. Sanctions against Russian oil are likely to remain at the top of the EU agenda in the coming months, however, experts believe a complete ban is unlikely.

This past week, President Biden announced that his administration will temporarily allow E15 gasoline — which uses a 15% ethanol blend usually banned during warm-weather months as part of anti-pollution restrictions — hoping to bring relief to consumers this summer since the higher-ethanol fuel typically sells for 5 to 10 cents less per gallon than regular gas. However, 12% of the vehicles on the road are not designed to run on E15 gas, including any motorcycle, any vehicle older than model year 2001, any off-road vehicle or vehicles with heavy-duty engines, such as school buses or delivery trucks.

To conserve fuel, motorists should map routes, avoid peak traffic times like rush hour, and combine errands into one trip while using cruise control when possible. Drivers should also make sure tire pressure is at the vehicle’s recommended level for the best gas mileage while removing any unnecessary and bulky items from the car since it takes more fuel to accelerate a heavy vehicle. Get more tips here: https://gasprices.aaa.com/news/fuel-saving-tips/

Motorists can benefit from comparing pump prices before filling up with the AAA Mobile App for iPhone, iPad, and Android - a convenient option to find the lowest gas prices in a given area.

AA members receive discounts at gas stations such as Fastrac, Maple Leaf Market and Shell locations across the country. Learn more here. AAA members can save on gas by joining the Fuel Rewards at Shell program. Join now at AAA.com/Shell. Motorists can also locate gas prices across the country and stay up-to-date on the latest news and fuel-saving tips at http://gasprices.aaa.com.