Crude oil prices slide Wednesday

NEW YORK, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Crude oil prices fell Wednesday as inspections in the Gulf of Mexico revealed Hurricane Gustav left supply areas relatively unscathed.

"Everybody's talking about the storm damage not being as bad as (Hurricane) Katrina," Justin Fohsz, a broker with Starsupply GFI told The Wall Street Journal.

On the New York Mercantile Exchange, oil prices dropped 88 cents Wednesday to $109.35 per barrel. Heating oil prices also fell, down 0.0212 cents to $3.0788 per gallon.

Reformulated gasoline prices rose slightly, up 0.0188 cents to $2.7688 per gallon, while natural gas prices gained, up 0.057 cents to $7.26 per million British thermal units.

At the pump, U.S. motorists were paying an average of $3.681 for a gallon of regular gasoline, down from Tuesday's $3.684, the AAA said.