DENVER — Oil prices continue to drop, still below $60 a barrel. And that could mean avoiding the usual summer spike in gasoline prices.
The Energy Department predicted Tuesday that motorists would pay the lowest gas prices during the summer months since 2009.
Oil prices have stabilized, but in a short-term energy forecast, the department calculated that the national average price for regular gasoline in the April-to-September summer driving season would be $2.45 a gallon. Last year over the same period, the national average was $3.59 a gallon.
In Colorado, the state average is $2.20 a gallon, compared to $3.55 a gallon in April 2014.
The average household is expected to spend about $700 less on gasoline this year, according to the report, with annual vehicle fuel expenditures to fall to their lowest levels in 11 years.