The recent snow and gloomy weather in Las Vegas weren't the only ominous news greeting Southern Nevadans in the new year. Gasoline prices ended 2010 with a high of $3.04 per gallon. December gasoline prices were 11 cents higher than a month ago.

Michael Geeser, AAA Nevada spokesman, says, "The high cost of crude oil is responsible for the double-digit price increase. Prices are predicted to keep rising. The reason for that is within the next month, refineries in California will be reformulating their gas for the warmer summer months. That process involves temporary shutdowns, which mean higher prices at the pump."

To add to the gloomy picture the government recently reported a larger than expected drop in crude oil supplies and stock markets climbed due to Europe's improving financial picture.

The only good news is that Nevada usually ranks in the top five states for high gasoline prices and it only ranked 10th on December 14. At this writing at the end of January, the average price of gasoline in Las Vegas is $3.13 a gallon.

Nevada is tied with Florida, Massachusetts and Wisconsin for the 17th highest gas prices in the nation, excluding Alaska and Hawaii.

Work continues to go on at the Ruby Pipeline in northern Nevada and accidents are still occurring. Nine workers were injured in October in Elko County. On December 10, 2010, an Ohio man lost his life when one of the pipe sections slipped and he was crushed.

Weather conditions in the area are difficult to say the least.

Among a list of those opposed to the Nevada route of the Ruby Pipeline is the Summit Lake Paiute Indian tribe. They are opposed to the proposed route which they said endangers their ancestral archeological sites. After protracted negotiations, the route has been altered.

Hooray! You stand in line at the DMV, pay for your Nevada state license plate and dash home and affix it to your car. You are a good citizen, but what about the scofflaws who skip all the legalities and spend months, even years, sporting an out of state license plate? All you have to do is report him and hide behind the curtains and watch the departure of the offending plates.

Those freeloaders are getting their comeuppance due to a recently established hot-line enabling callers to report out-of-state license plates. The free "snitch line" has been in operation for six months and already 750 drivers have been or are currently under investigation.

When you call 455-3247, leave information regarding the make, model and color as well as the license number of the potentially offending car. Also, leave your phone number or e-mail address. Out-of-state students, those who live out of state but spend the winter months in Las Vegas, and military personnel are exempt from the requirement to have a Nevada state license plate.

Originally published in the February 2011 issue of the O&A Marketing News.
Copyright 2011 by KAL Publications Inc.