Diesel Prices Notch New Record High

The national average price of diesel fuel rose 4.2 cents a gallon to a new record high of $1.704, the Department of Energy reported Tuesday.

The new high price, recorded on the Presidents' Day holiday, surpasses the previous record of $1.67 set on Oct. 17, 2000, DOE’s Energy Information Administration reported Tuesday.

Gasoline prices also soared to a 21-month high, EIA said, rising 5.3 cents a gallon to $1.66 a gallon.

Diesel prices rose in every region of the country, EIA reported, led by an 8.9-cent-a-gallon increase on the West Coast.



The smallest regional price increase was in the Midwest, where prices rose just 2.9 cents a gallon.

Diesel prices edged closer to $2 a gallon in some areas, with the price in the New England states clocking in at $1.885, EIA said.

The least expensive diesel fuel this week was found in the Rocky Mountains, where the price was $1.638 a gallon.

Last year at this time, diesel prices were 54.8 cents lower at just $1.156 a gallon, according to EIA’s historical data.

In the past two weeks, diesel prices have soared 16.2 cents a gallon, adding $32.40 to the cost of a 200-gallon filling.

Each week, EIA surveys 350 diesel-filling stations nationwide to build a composite snapshot of diesel prices across the country.

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