Street prices for gasoline have spiked to new record highs in most areas of the country, save the East and Gulf Coast, according to OPIS data just compiled for AAA.

   This morning’s data, representing over 100,000 unique stations in the U.S., shows an average U.S. pump price of $3.196 gal for regular unleaded gasoline. That is up 34cts gal in the last month, and is some 30cts gal above prices on this day last year.

   For the first time ever, OPIS estimates that consumers are paying over $1.25-billion each day for gasoline. As recently as early February, this figure was barely above $800-million. (See my post on 5/18 for a wider historical perspective)

    Most of the record highs occur on the West Coast, through the Rockies and Southwest, and in the Midcontinent. Seventeen states now have average unleaded prices above $3.25 gal. Last year, there was a noticeable slowdown in summer demand for states such as California which spent considerable time above that number, so we may have a large portion of the country that now tests the “people drive at any price” thesis of some of the economic cheerleaders.

   California has actually backed off from its Spring high, with prices there down about 4cts gal in the last week to $3.454 gal. The only other state that has seen some easing in price is Oregon which moved down a fraction in the last three days. Average prices there are still above $3.41 gal, however.

   Some states have smashed previous records. This is the case in places like Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

   For details of national as well as state-by-state numbers, with monthly and yearly comparisons, visit the AAA site at www.fuelgaugereport.com