Also, because Utahns and other residents of Western states tend to travel vast distances, as compared to the East, demand in the West is greater in summer than elsewhere.

"For several months Utah had been substantially below the national average," said Lee Peacock, president of the Utah Petroleum Association. "Right now the pendulum has swung."

But he stressed that over time, the market usually evens out. Utah does seem to have its highest prices in summer when the demand is highest. Yet, the rest of the year the state will usually be lower.

"It's an extremely competitive business," he said. "We urge people to shop around for the best prices."

Peacock said the distances that oil and gasoline have to be trucked for Utah can add to the prices somewhat but may not be as substantial a cost factor as many think it is.

According to the America Petroleum Institute, there are four different, basic components to the price of a gallon of gasoline — 1) the price of crude oil, 2) profit at the refinery level, 3) taxes and 4) retail markup.

• For a list of what each state charges for gasoline and diesel taxes, got to www.api.org. The AAA gasoline ranking can be found at www.aaa.com.

• The AAA Web site, www.aaa.com, identifies which stations in a particular city have the lowest prices.

• Don't fill up at the first station off a freeway exit. Travel farther to find lower prices.

• Do not fill up with gas near an airport, as prices there are almost always higher.

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E-mail: lynn@desnews.com