Drivers gearing up for trips this summer face escalating prices at the gasoline pump, an early sign that $70-a-barrel oil is starting to reach into consumers’ wallets. Average U.S. retail gasoline prices are climbing toward $3 a gallon, the most expensive in more than three years. The national average was around $2.86 at the end of last week. In states such as California and Washington, prices have already breached the $3 level after rising 24% and 17%, respectively, from a year ago. Economic growth has boosted demand for oil. If that growth continues, most consumers should be able to afford to pay more to fill up their tanks. But conflicts in oil-producing regions could mean even higher gas prices, posing a threat to U.S. growth as the cost of fuel and gasoline weighs on drivers, airlines, delivery companies and other big consumers. “Prices at the pump are quite high […]