One week after diesel prices posted their greatest one-week gain on record, the national average retail price for on-highway diesel fell back 5.1 cents to $2.847 cents per gallon for the week ended Sept. 12, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Decisions on the part of the U.S. government and governments of other nations to release petroleum from strategic reserves helped stabilize crude prices in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which disrupted oil drilling and pipeline transportation in the Gulf Coast region.
Every region of the country saw a decline in average diesel prices. California enjoyed the most price relief, 9.2 cents, but its average price of $3.158 remains the highest in the nation. The West Coast also is seeing diesel prices above $3 a gallon; the average price is $3.093. The smallest decline, 1.9 cents, occurred in the Rocky Mountain region, where the average price now is $2.957.
Nationwide, diesel is 97.3 cents higher than a year ago.
For more information, visit the EIA website.
