Gov't: Retail Gas Price Up

WASHINGTON – U.S. retail gasoline prices (search) increased for the first time in 10 weeks, while truckers saw their diesel fuel costs drop for a second week, the Energy Department said on Monday.

The national pump price for regular unleaded gasoline rose 1.5 cents over the last week to $1.793 a gallon, up 23 cents from a year ago, according to a survey of service stations by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (search).

The EIA, the Energy Department's (search) analytical arm, also said the average price for diesel fuel fell 2.3 cents to $1.934 a gallon, the lowest in almost four months, but up 38 cents from a year ago.

The price of crude oil, which is up about $3 a barrel over the last week, affects gasoline and diesel fuel costs. In futures trading at the New York Mercantile Exchange oil settled down 10 cents to $45.33 a barrel on Monday, after soaring almost $2 earlier in the day.

The EIA's weekly survey showed the retail price for cleaner-burning reformulated gasoline, sold in polluted metropolitan areas, fell a penny to $1.838 a gallon.

The West Coast had the most expensive regular unleaded gasoline, with the price down 4.1 cents to $1.889 a gallon. Los Angeles was at the top of the agency's survey of cities, with the price of gasoline down 2.9 cents to $1.963 a gallon.

Gulf Coast states had the cheapest fuel, with the price up 2.8 cents to $1.699 per gallon. Among major U.S. cities, Houston had the lowest pump price, with fuel up 1.2 cents to $1.643 a gallon.

The weekly report also showed gasoline prices were down 1.7 cents to $1.91 in Miami, down 1.6 cents to $1.864 in New York City, up 6.5 cents to $1.844 in Chicago, up 6.8 cents to $1.824 in Cleveland and down 3.6 cents to $1.786 in Seattle.

Truckers in the New England states paid the most for diesel fuel, at $2.163 a gallon, down 1.7 cents from the prior week. The Gulf Coast states had the cheapest diesel at $1.876 a gallon, down 1.1 cents.