New Mexicans feel pinch of rising gas prices

BERNALILLO, N.M. (AP) ? New Mexicans have joined those in other states in their irritation over the rising cost of gasoline.

With long drives required to get around this expansive state, drivers say the prices are starting to get painful and they want leaders in Washington to do something about it. A gallon of regular unleaded is averaging $3.71 in New Mexico, and it's higher in rural areas.

Families are reconsidering summer trips, and some businesses plan to charge customers for mileage because they can no longer absorb the prices.

"Five bucks, that's all I could afford," said Todd Mousel of Albuquerque, as he pulled the nozzle out of his van Monday. That was enough to give him 1.38 gallons of regular unleaded.

"I don't know how I'm going to handle higher prices," said Mousel, a mobile mechanic who travels the Albuquerque area for work. "Right now, work is slow and I'm barely able to put gas in as it is."

Larry Maestas, a Sandoval County rancher and oil and natural gas worker, is also feeling the pinch. He drives his pickup as much as 200 miles per day. Last year, he paid $18,000 in fuel costs, and he's afraid this year will be worse.

"I'm hearing that by Memorial Day weekend, it will probably be about $5 a gallon and diesel will be about $7," he said. "I'm going to have to go to a smaller vehicle, start riding my horses or something, I guess."

Rogelio Montoya of Bernalillo drives to two jobs every day and said the higher prices are creating "a very big problem."

A Gallup poll this month found 85 percent of U.S. adults believe the president and Congress "should take immediate actions to try to control the rising price of gas." An Associated Press-GfK poll last month showed 71 percent believe gas prices are a "very" or "extremely" important matter.

Maestas and Mousel said they're not surprised the price of a gallon of gas has become a campaign issue.

"It's such a political deal on both sides of the aisle," Maestas said. "It's really hard to say, but I think the president could do something about it and I don't know why he's not trying to do a little more than he is."

Mousel pointed to speculation and the lack of domestic energy production as part of the problem.

"The thing is, everybody is blaming Obama," he said. "Granted, he's not helping but this has been going on since Jimmy Carter.

"People say, 'Well, we can't drill. That's not going to help.' But just the threat of drilling, last time we talked about it, the Arabs started dropping the prices," Mousel said. "We need to drill. That's all there is to it."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mexicans-feel-pinch-rising-gas-prices-141832559.html

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