Time to start thinking about bicycle commuting again . . .

Time to start thinking about dusting off that bike again for commuting and utility riding--according to an MSNBC article, the price of gasoline is predicted to rise by almost 60 cents a gallon again this year:

U.S. consumers recovering from record high gasoline costs last summer may now face a nearly 60-cent price surge next year because of stricter environmental regulations, an industry expert said.

The introduction of lower sulfur requirements for gasoline and diesel combined with a shift in gasoline additives could reduce supplies and create problems for refiners trying to produce fuel to meet the new specifications, according to analyst Trilby Lundberg.

"We expect 2006's price surge to be less severe than 2005's, but more severe than any other year on record," Lundberg said in a report. "While we don't expect retail gasoline to revisit the $3 level in 2006, we do expect a 57 cent hike by July."