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St. Louis drivers could soon save a little time at the gas pump, thanks to an old idea that's brand new again. Gas pump nozzles with clumsy, plastic sleeves are being replaced with old-fashioned, sleeveless models. That’s because newer cars are designed to trap the fumes, making the plastic covers unnecessary.

New gas stations can use the traditional nozzles now. Older stations can switch starting March 15th. Gas customers at a new station on Manchester Road say the sleeveless pump nozzles are a lot easier to use.

Pacific, Missouri-based Husky Corporation is making the change easy and inexpensive for station owners. The company's EZ Connect nozzles can replace existing nozzles in a matter of minutes, meaning stations won't have to shut down pumps for an extended period of time.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources had planned to hold a meeting in St. Louis on Tuesday about the gas pump change. But the meeting has been cancelled because of the winter storm in central Missouri.

Gas prices continue to climb in the metro area and across the country. And there's still no clear reason why.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that gas prices in the St. Louis area are 20 cents higher per gallon than they were this time last year. A gallon of regular unleaded is running more than $3.60 at most stations on the Missouri side of the Mississippi -- up about 50 cents in the last month. Prices are closer to $3.90 in the metro-east.

Several reasons are being given for the jump at the pump, including maintenance at several refineries and early switch over to summer blends. But the paper reports that commodities speculators may be the real force behind the increase, since they now dominate the oil market.