SC motorists paying more for gas than last year

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Gasoline prices in South Carolina have spiked in recent weeks and now, for the first time this summer, motorists are paying more than at the same time last year. AAA Carolinas said Wednesday the average price for a gallon of gas is $3.41 a gallon. That’s a penny more than it was on Aug. 15, 2011. It is still well below the national average of $3.71. The current price is 49 cents more than it was July 3. That’s when gas averaged $2.91, the lowest price of the year. The motor club says there are a number of reasons for the spike including uncertainty about oil supplies from the Middle East, predictions of a higher than average number of hurricanes and the economic recovery that increases demand.