Though April in Arizona normally sees temperatures spiking, this month has shown another spike -- in gas prices.

The prices of fuel steadily rose during four weeks, reaching an all-time high during March and April. In the Gila Valley, the cost of one gallon of gas hovers around $2.299. According to AAA Arizona, the statewide average for a gallon of gas, on April 14, was at a record high of $2.37, and the national average was $2.257.

That average put Arizona fifth in the nation behind California ($2.641), Nevada ($2.555), Hawaii ($2.515) and Oregon and Vermont ($2.473). Gas prices were also the third most important issue on the mind of Arizonans, behind terrorism and health-care costs, according to AAA Arizona. Kevin Hanna of Safford doesn't think the gas prices are that bad but would like to see them go down.

"It's kind of hard to bring the gas prices down when the president owns a big chunk of an oil company," he said.

A long-range solution to the ever-present issue include an expansion of the Kinder-Morgan's El Paso to Phoenix pipeline, which is expected to be completed next year. Construction of an Arizona refinery is expected to begin next year in Yuma. According to AAA Arizona, both of these projects will bring relief to gas prices across the state.

Immediate relief in the form of rebates could be on the way for the summer months, but Arizona state legislators are still ironing out the kinks in that bill.

House Bill 2781 would provide a 10-cent tax rebate per gallon of gas purchased between Memorial Day and Labor Day with a maximum rebate of $200. The bill puts a $10 million cap on the bill, which will be prorated.

"Most people won't get the maximum amount," Representative Bill Konop-nicki (R - Safford) said.

"Someone would have to drive 2,000 miles in those three months to get the full rebate."

Konopnicki agreed to be a part of the committee working on the bill because he wants to get urban Arizonans out to rural areas and thinks that a rebate could provide incentives to travelers.

"The idea is to stimulate the economy and get people out of Maricopa County and into the rural area," Konopnicki said.

Consumers purchasing gas within the state can save their receipts and submit them to the Department of Transportation as early as Sept. 6 and as late as June 30, 2006.

"It would be nice to see the government step in and take action, but that's not going to happen," Hanna said. "The 10-cent rebate isn't significant; it's just pocket change."

The viability of the bill is still in question, Konopnicki said.

"Originally, the budget for this project was $150 million," the representative said. "We realized that we didn't have those kinds of funds, so we cut it down to $10 million."

The entire 34-cent state tax can't be levied, even for the summer because so much of that money is needed for road construction and maintenance, Konopnicki said. The cost of processing the receipts and calculating the individual rebates is also unknown.

Though the state cannot legally limit the rebate to Arizona residents, House Speaker Jim Weiers expects most of the state's winter visitors to be gone by the time the bill goes into affect.

The bill was scheduled to go before the House Appropriations Committee Monday.

Contact Lindsey Stockton at 428-2560 (ext. 240) or e-mail her at lindsey@eacourier.com.