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The U.S. diesel average inched up last week 0.7 cent a gallon to $2.228, following two weeks of major increases, while the gasoline price dipped, the Department of Energy reported.

U.S. retail diesel prices jumped sharply last week, a second straight bump that raised the national average a two-week total of 20.4 cents a gallon, or about 10%, as gasoline also rose, topping the $2 a gallon mark for the first time since November, according to the Department of Energy.

Two senior House Democratic leaders last week introduced a sweeping greenhouse gas bill that includes a cap-and-trade program and would expand motor carriers’ use of SmartWay technologies.

Democratic lawmakers announced legislation Tuesday that they say would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by one fifth, reduce dependence on foreign oil and create energy-related jobs, the Associated Press reported.

The Environmental Protection Agency has asked that an emissions control area be created along the United States’ coastline to reduce what officials say are harmful emissions from ships.

The Environmental Protection Agency is poised to declare that greenhouse gas emissions endanger the public’s health and welfare — a move that could accelerate government rulemaking related to air quality.

WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee criticized Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and the Obama administration for refusing to consider an increase in the federal fuel tax.