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GAS PRICES FREE-FALLING

Boise--Gas prices across the country have dropped dramatically in the past week with some parts of the country falling below the $3.00 a gallon mark.

Idaho AAA spokesman Dave Carlson says prices reflect sagging supplies and lingering demand: "Today we're posting a national average of $3.21 a gallon. It's come down some 14 cents since just last Friday and about 40 cents nationwide since October first."

Idaho gas prices are still well above the national average and traditionally lag behind the national average. In Boise the cheapest gas is $3.41 a gallon still twenty cents below the national average. Carlson says a barrel of crude oil dropped last Friday to its lowest price in a year.

"Crude oil prices have gone from a high in July from $147 down to about $80 today. That's taken the wind out of the sails of the petroleum marketplace." Carlson added that gasoline futures could drop to $3.00, in November and possibly down to $2.75 and that freefall could continue for the next six weeks.

"We're still nowhere near last years gas prices where we were in the $2.80 range. But it's quite possible we could get there before New Years," said Carlson.

Farmer Terry Jones of Emmett has carefully followed gas prices and with these prices he's buying fuel tanks and plans to buy some bulk fuel to beat gas prices when they start climbing in the spring. "I want to buy low and drop it in the ground and forget about until prices are back up again," he said.