Thomas L. Gallagher | Mar 15, 2010 4:25PM EDT
The upward trend in diesel prices moved into its fourth consecutive week but weakened its impact in the week ending March 15, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The average retail price of diesel in the United States climbed two cents last week to $2.924 per gallon, EIA said. The latest increase was the smallest of four consecutive jumps starting with a 7.6-cent surge in the week ending Feb. 22, followed by hikes of 2.9 cents and 4.3 cents.
The nation’s highest prices were on the West Coast, where they were already high. An increase of two-tenths of a cent took the average price to $3.005 per gallon. In California, a rise of eight-tenths of a cent brought retail diesel to $3.065 per gallon on average.
Drivers paid least in the Midwest, where the average price rose 2.4 cents to $2.895 per gallon.
Contact Thomas L. Gallagher at tgallagher@joc.com.