In Phila. area, a penny more for gas

A penny was the difference at the gas-pump, as average prices rose by a cent at the regional and national levels, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

The five-county Philadelphia region saw the average price for a gallon of regular no-lead go up, to $4.12.

In South Jersey, the price was at $3.98.

At the national level, the average was at $4.05.

Diesel prices remained relatively steady: $5.01 (unchanged) in the Philadelphia region; $4.75 (up a cent) in South Jersey; and $4.79 (unchanged) at the national level.

Oil prices regained their stunning upward momentum today, soaring as crude's biggest drivers - a weak dollar and supply-and-demand concerns - brought buyers back in force.

The Energy Department's Energy Information Administration said oil inventories fell by 4.6 million barrels last week.

Analysts surveyed by energy research firm Platts expected a much smaller decline of about 1.4 million barrels; any sign that oil supplies are falling has tended to send oil climbing.

Light, sweet crude rose $5.45 to $136.76 a barrel in midday trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange after earlier rising as high as $137.86.

Oil shot up more than $16 over the course of last Thursday and Friday, reaching a trading record of $139.12 before pulling back this week.