National diesel prices averaged $1.78 per gallon last week, setting a new record since the Energy Information Administration began gathering pump price data in 1994. The last record set was in March 10, 2003, when diesel prices hit $1.771 per gallon.
Oil traded for a settlement price yesterday of $43.82 on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest close since U.S. light crude futures began trading on Nymex in 1983, according to The New York Times.
The largest pump increase was posted ot the Gulf Coast, up 3.1 cents to $1.722 per gallon. The West Coast maintained the most stable prices, up only 0.5 cents to $2.036 per gallon. California was the most expensive region to fill up, at $2.115 per gallon. The Lower Atlantic region was the cheapest to fill up, at $1.717 per gallon.
