Inland Empire gas price continues to fall

The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in the Inland Empire fell Tuesday for the 19th consecutive day, dropping a half-cent to $4.144

The average price in Riverside and San Bernardino counties is 6.5 cents less than one week ago, 10.9 cents lower than one month ago and 22.5 cents below what it was one year ago, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.

The average price has dropped 14.7 cents during the 19-day streak of declines, including seven-tenths of a cent on Monday.

The average price rose 30 times in the 31 days preceding the streak of declines, increasing 57.5 cents over that span.

The average price has been dropping because most California refineries have concluded scheduled maintenance without experiencing any major incidents before the switch to summer-blend production, leaving adequate gasoline supplies, said Jeffrey Spring of the Automobile Club of Southern California.