(The following story by Thomas L. Gallagher appeared on The Journal of Commerce website on February 23, 2010.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Diesel prices across the United States jumped 7.6 cents over the past week, the first increase in six weeks, to their highest point since the middle of January, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Monday.
The average national price of $2.832 was up 2.8 percent from the week before, and about 33 percent higher than the average price a year ago.
The price of crude oil surged last week, too, climbing from a brief low of $74.13 per barrel on Feb. 12 to $79.81 per barrel a week later. Crude oil futures Monday hit $80.31 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
Drivers on the West Coast paid $2.918 per gallon for diesel, up 7.2 cents from a week earlier and up 68 cents from a year ago.
The lowest prices were in the Gulf Coast, where diesel sold for $2.793 per gallon, up 7.5 cents from a week earlier and up 71.9 cents from a year ago.
The biggest change was a surge of 8.9 cents to $2.794 per gallon in the Midwest. The smallest change was a five-cent increase to $2.827 per gallon in the Rocky Mountains.