News release: “Washington-Baltimore area consumers paid more for utility (piped) gas (14.8 percent) and electricity (6.0 percent) than the U.S. city average, while the price of gasoline was similar to the average price charged throughout the country in January 2008 as measured by the Consumer Price Index, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Regional Commissioner Sheila Watkins noted that January 2008 was the first time in 10 years that local electricity users have paid a higher-than-average price for consumption of this commodity in the first month of the year. On the other hand, the cost of utility (piped) gas in the Washington-Baltimore area has declined in January over the last 2 years, narrowing the gap with the average price nationally from 24.0 percent to 14.8 percent, the smallest differential in the last decade.”