Average US gas prices drop, but Bay Area still pays the most in the nation

EMERYVILLE, Calif. (KTVU) - The average U.S. price of regular-grade gasoline fell 3 cents a gallon  over the past two weeks, to $2.93. But despite that good news, the Bay Area still has the highest gas prices in the nation.

Industry analyst Trilby Lundberg of the Lundberg Survey says Sunday that it's the first price drop at the pump in four months.

Lundberg says the price is 6 cents lower than it was one year ago.

The highest average price in the nation is $4.08 a gallon in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The lowest average is $2.35 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

This large gap is just one of the reasons that the California Energy Commission wants to know why gas  prices in California are so high and they're calling for a five-month study. They want to investigate the possibility of market manipulation being a factor.