William B. Cassidy, Senior Editor | Jan 17, 2012 6:03PM EST
Diesel prices across the United States increased for the second week in a row in the week ending Jan. 16, climbing 2.6 cents as oil prices hit above $100 per barrel.
The national average $3.854 per gallon price was 44.7 cents higher than a year ago, according to the weekly survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Diesel prices increased more slowly than in the week that ended Jan. 9, however, when the national average rose 4.5 cents to $3.827 after a seven-week drop.
The biggest increased was in New England, where diesel prices at the pump rose 4.7 cents from the previous week. Prices fell 2 cents in the Rocky Mountain states. Diesel topped $4 a gallon in New England and the Central Atlantic states as well as California, where the retail price rose inched half a cent to $4.115 per gallon.
Crude oil for February delivery rose $1.77 to $100.48 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The rise comes after the release of a better-than-expected report on China’s growth in the fourth quarter.
-- Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com. Follow him on Twitter @wbcassidy_joc.