Crude oil prices lingered under $97 per barrel Wednesday as equity markets slumped in Asia and Europe. West Texas Intermediate crude oil for September delivery dropped 12 cents to $96.72 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Natural gas gained 4.7 cents to $2.822 per million British thermal units. Home heating oil shed 0.19 cents to $3.1224 per gallon. Reformulated blendstock gasoline added 0.51 cents to $3.0703 a gallon. At the pump, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $3.716 per gallon Wednesday, down from Tuesday\'s $3.717, AAA reported.