For the past few months, gas prices have been taking an extra chunk out of the public’s pockets. This has been a main cause in the slowdown of our economy because the rising prices have exceeded the normal household income.

Through months of consumer conservation, the price of fuel has finally started to fall. The state average as of yesterday was $2.22 a gallon. AAA spokesman Clay Ingram said some places around the state were seeing prices under $2 a gallon yesterday.

“With people cutting back their travel and their extra expenses, we have really seen a drop in the amount of fuel we are using, which has in return helped to bring down the price that we are having to pay at the pump,” Ingram said.

The off-season for gas lasts through February during a normal year. Although there are no guarantees that gas prices will stay this low or fall any lower, Ingram said there is a good chance gas will be under $2 throughout the state before too long.

“A few more weeks and we could possibly see even lower gas prices,” Ingram said. “The lower we can work on getting them now, the better it will be in March when the gas prices start to rise.”

According to Ingram, March is when the gas season really starts to take off, which could mean another large increase in prices if the public is not careful.

On the whole, fuel conservation efforts have helped keep the price of gas down. Ingram said if everyone keeps making an effort to conserve fuel, we could have a much better year than we did last year.