The Iowa Office of Energy Independence reports that gas prices last month were higher than July of 2009, but still beat the national average by a few cents. Regular unleaded gasoline averaged $2.66 a gallon across the state last month, a seven cent increase from last July.  George Moore, owner and operator of “Moore’s BP” in Washington, says while gas stations do make a small profit on fuel, it’s better for business to have lower prices.  He says gasoline is a “fixed expense” most people can’t cut from their budget, and lower prices allow consumers to spend money on additional items in his and other stores in Washington.