---

Average Price of Gas in Texas Jumps 10.5 Cents in Two Weeks

1 April 1999

Average Price of Gas in Texas Jumps 10.5 Cents in Two Weeks

    HOUSTON--April 1, 1999--AAA Texas reports the average price of self-serve regular unleaded gasoline jumped 10.5 cents since its last Fuel Gauge survey conducted two weeks ago. The current Texas statewide average price of self-serve regular unleaded is 99.91 cents. The average price two weeks ago was 89.45 cents. "Easter motorists will find higher prices at the pump than they did just two weeks ago," says Bill Noble, a spokesman for AAA Texas. "However, despite the recent jump, the average price remains a little lower than the average $1.008 motorists saw a year ago in March 1998."
    AAA reports the national average price for self-serve regular unleaded gasoline jumped 11.8 cents since March 16 to $1.088 per gallon, according to a special AAA Fuel Gauge Report. The national jump marks the largest increase in gas prices since August 1990 when prices increased 23.2 cents following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
    AAA and AAA Texas commission their Fuel Gauge Reports as a service to motorists and the media. The current reports are based on data gathered March 30, 1999 by the Oil Price Information Service - the nation's most comprehensive source of petroleum pricing information.
    AAA Texas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1905. Today, AAA Texas offers its members a full service travel agency, auto-related services, financial services, public safety programs, and legislative advocacy.

    Note: Attached is March 30, 1999 average price information for 15 Texas cities compared to data collected on March 15, 1999.

                      AAA TEXAS FUEL GAUGE REPORT
        Average Price of Self-Serve Regular Unleaded Gasoline
                       in Selected Texas Cities

Cities              3/30/99          3/15/99
------              -------          -------
Abilene              1.0107           0.8927
Amarillo             1.0303           0.9169
Austin               0.9914           0.8826
Beaumont             0.9758           0.8593
Brownsville          1.0032           0.9114
Corpus Christi       0.9891           0.8569
Dallas               1.0053           0.9152
El Paso              1.0539           0.9385
Fort Worth           1.0010           0.8919
Houston              0.9831           0.8994
Laredo               1.0498           0.8960
Longview             1.0125           0.8951
Lubbock              1.0062           0.8871
San Antonio          0.9826           0.8569
Waco                 0.9639           0.8470

STATEWIDE            0.9991           0.8909

Source: Survey commissioned by AAA Texas.
March 31, 1999