AAA, an international automobile association formed more than 100 years ago, expects approximately 37.1 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the upcoming July 4th holiday weekend, down 700,000 or 1.9 percent from a year ago due to ongoing uncertainty about the strength of the economy, especially concern over rising joblessness and sagging personal incomes.

The recent rise in gasoline prices may also be causing some travelers to limit or abbreviate their holiday plans, although its impact on overall vacation costs remains minimal, AAA said.

Last year, 37.8 million Americans traveled during the same period, a 10.5 percent drop from the 42.3 million travelers who vacationed in 2007.

The National Association of Convenience Stores said Friday (6/26) that it supports a legislative effort in Washington, D.C., to grant convenience store owners across the country liability relief for selling E15—an 85 percent gasoline, 15 percent ethanol blend.

Jeff Lenard told DTN that the NACS supports the proposed legislation by some lawmakers, which has not yet been introduced in Congress, because there is a high probability that the government will raise the ethanol blending level above the current 10 percent legal threshold for non flex-fuel vehicles.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is now considering a petition to allow the sale of fuel blended with 15 percent ethanol. A decision is expected later this year.