Price of Diesel Surges 2.8 Cents

A 7.7-cent-per-gallon leap in the average price of gasoline dwarfed a not- inconsiderable 2.8 cent per gallon rise in the price of diesel fuel.

The respective increases put gasoline at a national average of $1.703 per gallon and diesel fuel at $1.470, according to the surveys conducted by the Energy Information Administration on May 7.

For diesel fuel it was the highest price since Feb. 19, when the price stood at $1.480.

In the previous week, the prices of both fuels had moderated, with gasoline rising only 0.7 cent and diesel fuel dropping 0.1 cent.

The rise in the diesel price this week was spurred by a 6.6-cent-per-gallon increase in the Midwest region, and an increase of 3.6 cents in the Rocky Mountain region.

On May 7, the average price in the Midwest region stood at $1.489 per gallon, up from $1.423 per gallon the previous week.

The price did not move in the East Coast and New England regions, and dropped 1.1 cents in the Central Atlantic region. In the Lower Atlantic, the Gulf Coast, the West Coast and California, the price of diesel fuel rose less than a cent.

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