The national average retail price of a gallon of diesel shot up 7 cents, to $2.234, for the week ending June 6.
The average diesel price increased in all eight regions tracked by the U.S. Department of Energy. The biggest increase, 9 cents, was on the Gulf Coast; the smallest increase, a penny, was in the Rocky Mountains.
On average, diesel was most expensive in New England at $2.353 and least expensive in the Rocky Mountains at $2.191.
The price of diesel traditionally drops below the price of gasoline in summertime, but no such drop has occurred this year, thanks partially to China’s new year-round demand for diesel.
Instead, the price gap between diesel and less expensive gasoline is widening steadily, from 3 cents the week of May 23 to 11 cents the week of June 6. The current gap is the same as the average gap this past winter.
Some analysts fear the usual warm-weather price surge of gasoline over diesel may never happen this year at all, which would be a bad omen for next winter’s diesel prices.
For state-by-state diesel prices, updated daily, visit http://www.etrucker.com/apps/promiles/fuelprices.asp.
