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January 16, 2001 4:35 PM, EST

The U.S. average pump price for diesel fuel fell 1.1 cents this week to $1.509 per gallon as of Jan. 15, compared with $1.520 Jan. 8, the Energy Department reported Tuesday afternoon.

This downward move goes well beyond the 0.2 cent drop the previous week, and brings the average to its lowest level since $1.471 on Aug. 21.

Among the departments nine U.S. regional listings, the average diesel price fell in New England, Central Atlantic, the Midwest, Rocky Mountain states, and most notably in California and other West Coast states.

The average diesel price rose in the department’s Lower Atlantic, East Coast and Gulf Coast state groupings.

The U.S. Energy Information Agency surveys 350 fueling stations at the start of each week, and reports the results late on the same day that it polls the stations.