Gas prices fall nearly 14 cents in 2 weeks

CAMARILLO, California (CNN) -- Gas prices fell nearly 14 cents over the last two weeks to a national average of $2.18 per gallon of self-serve regular, a survey said Sunday.

Prices dropped exactly 13.62 cents between January 5 and January 19, said Trilby Lundberg, publisher of the "Lundberg Survey." The survey included about 5,000 gas stations across the nation.

A $4.32 drop in the price per barrel of West Texas Intermediate crude was responsible for nearly all of the decrease, she said.

The U.S. benchmark closed Friday at $51.99 per barrel, equivalent to a 10.3-cent-per-gallon drop, she said.

The drop nearly cancels out the 13.88-cent increase in the cost per gallon of gasoline that occurred between November 3, 2006 and January 5, 2007, said Lundberg.

She cited soft demand for home heating oil due to mild winter weather and the failure of OPEC to comply with its November pledge to slash production, for the price drop.