Diesel and gasoline prices remained on the upswing this week, rising by an average of 6.8 cents and 5.6 cents per gallon, respectively, across the U.S. Meanwhile, diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) prices traveled in the reverse direction this August after staying flat for much of the year.
According to data tracked by the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. average retail pump price for diesel increased 6.8 cents to $3.981 per gallon, with diesel prices on the rise in all regions of the nation.
Still, the current average price for diesel this week is 14.6 cents per gallon lower compared to the same week in 2012, the agency noted.
Diesel is now over $4 per gallon in four areas of the country, EIA said: New England ($4.087 per gallon); the Central Atlantic ($4.055); the West Coast ($4.128); and California ($4.210).
The steepest one-week spike in diesel process occurred in the Midwest, which witnessed an 8.3 cent jump to $3.967, the agency pointed out, while the smallest increased happened in the Rocky Mountain region, where diesel went up only one penny to $3.937 per gallon.
The U.S. national average retail pump price for gasoline jumped 5.6 cents to $3.608 per gallon this week, EIA said, though that price is 23.5 cents per gallon lower compared to the same week in 2012.
Only on the West Coast – with California prices removed – did gasoline witness a decline, dropping 2.1 cents to $3.626 per gallon. EIA added that gasoline prices went up in every other region of the country this week, with the highest price on the West Coast with California included ($3.75 per gallon) while the Gulf Coast remains home to the lowest price for gasoline ($3.406).
By contrast, according to data tracked by international research firm Integer, the U.S. national average price for diesel exhaust fluid (DEF) tote refills dropped six cents to $1.91 per gallon in August compared to July, while in Canada, DEF prices also declined by two cents to CAN $0.57 per liter(roughly US $2.25 per gallon) last month as well.
DEF truck stop prices are also remained stable at $2.79 per gallon in the U.S. – the same price point held since November 2012 – and at CAN $0.80 per liter in Canada (equating to some US $3.01 per gallon) since October 2011, the firm said.
Integer added that Salt Lake City, UT, posted the highest average price for DEF tote refills while Cincinnati, OH, and Atlanta, GA, registered the lowest average prices amongst all areas covered by the firm in the U.S.
