Diesel drops while gasoline rises, EIA says

Average national retail pump prices for diesel and gasoline went in different directions this week, according to data tracked by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The national average for diesel declined 5.3 cents this week to $2.864 per gallon, the agency reported, which is $1.124 per gallon cheaper compared to the same week in 2014.

Diesel dipped down in every region of the country, with five remaining above the $3-per-gallon mark, EIA noted:

• The East Coast at $3.207 per gallon, down 5.5 cents from last week;
• New England at $3.20, down 7 cents;
• The Central Atlantic at $3.231, down 8 cents (which is the largest drop for diesel prices in the nation this week);
• The West Coast at $3.001, down 6.3 cents, though that changes to $2.815 and 7.9 cents, respectively, with California removed from the mix;
• California at $3.152, down 5 cents from last week.

The national average for gasoline inched up 4/10ths of a penny this week to $2.437 per gallon, EIA said, though that is $1.092 per gallon cheaper compared to the same week in 2014.

Gasoline prices increased in just two regions this week; the Rocky Mountains, up 1.5 cents to $2.303 per gallon, and the Midwest, up 10.6 cents (the largest one-week jump in regional gasoline prices this week in the nation) to $2.391.

The West Coast when including California’s prices is the only region in the country where gasoline is over the $3-per-gallon mark, though prices fell 6.9 cents – the largest decline recorded for gasoline in the U.S. this week – to $3.047.

With California removed from the mix, though, the average price for gasoline on the West Coast dropped 3.6 cents to $2.667, EIA noted.