Gas Prices Up Again This Week, Highest Since 2008

Gasoline prices rose again in the last week but, in some good news for consumers, rose more slowly than the previous week.

The average price of self-serve regular gas today is $3.848 a gallon, up from $3.815 seven days ago, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Survey. The price is up than 30 cents a gallon in the last month.

Diesel fuel prices rose a penny a gallon, with the average price at $4.135.

The slowdown in price hikes at the pump could be temporary. Oil prices continued their rapid climb this week, fueled partly by weakness in the U.S. dollar.

The government reported at midweek that U.S. stockpiles of crude oil and gasoline fell from the previous week, but not from an increase in demand, but because of a drop in imports. In fact, some economists warned that an unabated increase in gas prices would soon start cutting into demand, and could harm the economy.

At weeks end, rising gasoline prices was becoming a hot political issue in Washington. U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the Justice Department would investigate rising prices to determine if any criminal or fraudulent activity has influenced the sharp increase.

The states with the most expensive gasoline today are:

• Hawaii ($4.527)
• California ($4.211)
• Alaska ($4.186)
• Connecticut ($4.118)
• Illinois ($4.086)
• Washington, DC ($4.065)
• New York ($4.050)
• Michigan ($3.974)
• Indiana ($3.964)
• Washington ($3.937)

The states with the least expensive gasoline today are:

• Wyoming ($3.551)
• Colorado ($3.610)
• Montana ($3.625)
• South Carolina ($3.643)
• Utah ($3.664)
• Tennessee ($3.671)
• Mississippi ($3.671)
• Arkansas ($3.694)
• Alabama ($3.695)
• Oklahoma ($3.695)