Diesel fuel’s national average retail price resumed its recent upward track after a pause a week ago, rising 4.9 cents to $3.116 a gallon, the highest nationwide pump average in six months, according to US Department of Energy information.
Diesel was unchanged a week ago at $3.067 from a week earlier, but it has risen 18.5 cents since early September, with minor declines of less than a penny in two of the past nine weeks. The price is now 31.5 cents higher than the same week in 2009 and is the highest since May 10, when it was $3.127.
Prices in all regions rose sharply, led by the Rocky Mountain region’s gain of 5.8 cents to $3.199. The Midwest was up 5.3 cents to $3.102, while the East Coast climbed 5.1 cents to $3.114. California remained the most expensive, advancing 4.2 cents to $3.279. All regions are above $3 a gallon.