BEND, OR -- Prices at the pump fell for the seventh week in a row. The national average dropped 14 cents to $4.19, Oregon’s average slipped a dime to $5.05 and Bend's local average fell 13 cents to $5.09, this week.

AAA-Oregon’s Marie Dodds says the decline is because of falling crude oil prices, "Crude has come down in price from where it was when Russia first invaded Ukraine. But it’s still higher than it was a year ago. It’s trading between $94-$96 a barrel. And, a year ago, crude was around $71a barrel."

About half of Oregon gas stations are now selling regular for less than $5 a gallon. Dodds says the Portland area is among the most expensive regions in the state, but drivers in more remote areas are paying even more, "The current average for Multnomah county: $5.24; Clatsop County: $5.19; Tillamook, $5.20. Wallowa County: $5.31; Coos County: $5.17; Curry County: $5.71 and Josephine: $5.26."