High gas prices put a crimp on Utahns' summer

To cope with the rising costs, 22 percent of Utahns in the survey said they are using credit cards more to pay for gas. Among that group of 134 Utahns, 85 percent said they were "definitely" or "probably" able to pay off their credit-card balances for fuel each month. The margin of error for that group was 8.5 percent.

For years, Tenzin Tsering of Salt Lake City paid for gas with cash. Recently, she began using a credit card at the pump, because she doesn't want to carry enough cash to pay for gas and incidentals. Filling her midsize sedan costs about $50.

"I pay off my credit card every month," she said.

Don't be shocked if gas prices continue to increase this summer. While average gas prices in Utah are currently 10 cents lower than the national average, they usually climb above the national average during the summer, AAA Utah spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough said.

People in the Intermountain West have to travel longer distances to get to nearby cities and landmarks than people in more densely packed parts of the U.S., and they tend to travel more when the weather is warm, she said.

A month ago, a gallon of gas in Utah cost $3.38; a year ago, it was $3.26.

Gas prices are increasing because of the weak dollar, international demand and the prices of commodities on Wall Street, Fairclough said.

"The dollar has lost so much value, prices are raised so they have a comparable value for what they're exchanged for," Fairclough said. "We have the increasing demands from China, India and some of the burgeoning economies that put on a sharp demand worldwide."

Critics blame oil companies for high prices, too, and this week, the Senate Judiciary Committee criticized the record profits of Shell Oil Co., Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp., BP America Inc. and ConocoPhilips Co., which combined were $36 billion during just the first quarter of this year.

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E-mail: lhancock@desnews.com