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Rising oil prices and growing distillate demand pushed the U.S. national diesel average 7.3 cents higher to $2.09 last week, the first increase in more than two months, the Department of Energy reported.

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.

A federal appeals court has thrown out the Port of Los Angeles’ ban on owner-operators and questioned the legality of concession requirements at the adjacent Long Beach port for drayage operators to file financial statements and give hiring preferences to experienced port drivers.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States is “working very hard to achieve a resolution” to a trade dispute that led to Mexico imposing tariffs on U.S. goods valued at more than $2 billion after President Obama signed a law ending a cross-border trucking plan.

U.S. consumer confidence rose slightly this month, but still remains near its lowest point in three decades, according to the Reuters/University of Michigan’s final monthly consumer sentiment index released Friday.

China passed the United States last year to become the world’s second largest auto-producing nation behind Japan, according to a California research firm.

Consumer personal spending rose in February for the second consecutive month, the Commerce Department said Friday.

The private sector has plenty to worry about at the moment. On a global scale, there are the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan and Iran’s nuclear issues.

Air and ocean freight forwarder UTi Worldwide lost $89.8 million, or 89 cents per share, for its fiscal fourth quarter, compared with a profit of $18 million, or 18 cents per share, a year ago.