NATION

NATION
Analyst: Gas pricesup 3 cents since Dec. 6
CAMARILLO, Calif. -- Gas prices rose nearly 3 cents per gallon over the past two weeks, an industry analyst said Sunday.
The average weighted price for gas nationwide, including all grades and taxes, was about $1.45 per gallon Friday, according to the Lundberg Survey of 8,000 stations nationwide. Gas cost about $1.42 a gallon on average on Dec. 6, the date of the last Lundberg Survey.
A crippling strike by Venezuelan oil producers, refiners and shippers drove up the price of crude oil, contributing to the cost hike, analyst Trilby Lundberg said.
The national weighted average price of gasoline, including taxes, at self-serve pumps Friday was about $1.41 per gallon for regular, $1.51 for midgrade and $1.60 for premium.
REGION
Plants not for sale
AKRON -- FirstEnergy Corp. announced that it has given up plans to sell four power plants along the Lake Erie shore.
FirstEnergy had agreed in 2001 to sell the coal-fueled generating stations to Minneapolis-based NRG Energy Inc. for $1.5 billion. The plants, located along Lake Erie near Cleveland and Toledo, generate a combined 2,535 megawatts.
But FirstEnergy canceled the sale in August because NRG was going to breach obligations in the agreement.
FirstEnergy then entertained other offers but now says that it has rejected all bids and will no longer attempt to sell the plants.
Associated Press