Diesel Average Slips 0.7 Cent to $2.517

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iesel fuel’s average national price slipped 0.7 cent to $2.517 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported Monday.

Meanwhile, the average national price of gasoline rose 1 cent to $2.218. Prices are 26.2 cents lower than last year.

Diesel's decline follows an uptick of 2.1 cents last week that marked the end of a nine-week skid in diesel prices. Prices are 35.9 cents lower than a year ago.

Diesel’s average fell in four of the five national regions, rising 1.4 cents to 2.577 in the Rocky Mountain region. In California, which DOE breaks out separately, the nation’s main trucking fuel fell 2.4 cents to $2.645.

Meanwhile, crude oil futures fell more than $2, closing below $59 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange on expectations that milder weather would drive down demand for heating oil, Bloomberg reported.

Higher U.S. inventories also contributed to the moderation in oil prices, Bloomberg said.

Crude oil futures on Monday fell $2.36 cents to close at $58.39 a barrel.

Each week, DOE surveys 350 diesel filling stations to compile a national snapshot average price.

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