Business/Economy

If the normally quiet pumps at your favorite gas station have started spouting advertisements at you recently, chances are the station is one of three locations now under longterm lease to Western Refining.

In an agreement signed June 6, Western Refining acquired longterm leases from Polk Oil on 12 stations throughout Northern New Mexico. The Chevron on Trinity Drive, the Shell station on Diamond Drive and the Conoco Quik Stop in White Rock are part of that group.

Although Western Refining operates 222 stores throughout New Mexico, Arizona, Southern Colorado and West Texas — known as Giant Convenience Centers — this is the company’s first venture into Los Alamos County.

“The transition has gone well,” said Gary Hanson, vice president of corporate communications. “We’ve completed rebranding and the office systems have been converted. And we’re very pleased with the performance of those stations.”

“Our retail stores help us as a business. They give us an outlet for the oil and gas we produce at our refineries. So it’s good to add these stores to our mix,” Hanson continued. The company has refineries in El Paso and Gallup.

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A new financial forecast estimates more than $270 million will be available to lawmakers and Gov. Susana Martinez for budget increases next year.

Top officials in the Martinez administration outlined the revenue projections on Wednesday to the Legislative Finance Committee during a meeting in Angel Fire.

The state expects to collect $5.9 billion during the 2014 fiscal year, which starts next July. That's $272 million more than the state will spend this year. That's also the pool of so-called new money available for spending increases on public education and other government programs as well as to offset any tax cuts that may be enacted.

Lawmakers estimate that several obligations in current law, such as higher public employee pension payments by the state, will require $74 million of the money.

You may pay more than ever for a late-summer drive.

U.S. drivers paid an average of $3.72 per gallon on Monday. That's the highest price ever on this date, according to auto club AAA, a shade above the $3.717 average on Aug. 20, 2008. A year ago, the average was $3.578.

More daily records are likely over the next few weeks. The national average could increase to $3.75 per gallon by Labor Day, said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service. By comparison, gas prices stayed below $3.70 in late August and early September in both 2008 and 2011.

Retail gasoline prices have gone up about 39 cents per gallon, or 12 percent, since hitting a low of $3.326 on July 2, according to AAA, OPIS and Wright Express. Kloza estimates that U.S. drivers are paying $149 million more each day for gas than in early July. That isn't what the sluggish economy needs, since any extra money that goes to fill gas tanks doesn't get spent at movie theaters or restaurants.

LAS CRUCES, N.M. (AP) — The chile harvest has begun as grocery stores in Las Cruces are starting to roll out roasters in preparation for green chile sales.

The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that this year's crop is being sold at roadside stands in the Hatch area.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture report says that last week the New Mexico chile harvest was 11 percent complete.

Retailers and canneries this year are subject to a new law that prevents falsely advertising that chile is New Mexico-grown, if it's from elsewhere.

Katie Goetz, spokeswoman for the New Mexico Department of Agriculture, says inspectors have already found some violators and will be on the lookout as the season continues.