Local gasoline prices exceed $4 per gallon

As oil prices rose past $104 a barrel, a 29-month high, and fighting in Libya intensified, premium gasoline topped $4 a gallon in Honolulu by March 10, according to AAA's daily fuel gauge report. Premium gas was selling for $4.013, up from $3.978 on the previous day. A year ago, a gallon of premium went for $3.595 in Honolulu. The highest recorded average price for a gallon of regular in Honolulu was $4.390 on July 29, 2008.

In Wailuku, regular has been more than $4 a gallon for at least a month, according to AAA. By March 10, regular was $4.156 in Wailuku, premium was $4.342 and diesel was $4.54.

As the month of March ended, Hawaii’s average price for a gallon of regular gasoline increased to $4.18, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report and PBN research, while the average price for regular unleaded rose to $4.10 a gallon, up 73 cents from last year.

On the Big Island, Hilo’s average price rose to $4.21 per gallon, up 74 cents from a year ago and on Maui, Wailuku’s average price per gallon increased to $4.37, up 52 cents from last year.