U.S. retail gasoline price rises for 3rd week-Govt

Mon Apr 19, 2010 10:04pm BST

By Tom Doggett

WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) - U.S. retail gasoline prices
increased for the third straight week, the Energy Department
said on Monday, but drivers hardly noticed any change at the
pump.

The national average price for regular unleaded gasoline
rose a slight 0.2 cent over the last week to $2.86 a gallon, up
80 cents from a year ago, the department's Energy Information
Administration said in its weekly survey of service stations.

The increase in fuel prices was much smaller than in recent
weeks following a drop in crude oil costs. The price of oil
accounts for more than half the gasoline price at the pump.

U.S. oil fell by $1.79 to $81.45 a barrel on Monday, the
lowest level since March 26, in trading at the New York
Mercantile Exchange.

In its weekly price survey, the EIA found the West Coast had
the most expensive gasoline at $3.06 a gallon, down 0.2 cent.
By city, Los Angeles had the highest price at $3.12, down 0.6
cent.

The Gulf Coast states had the lowest regional price at $2.75
a gallon, down 0.6 cent. Houston had the cheapest city pump
price at $2.70, down 0.7 cent.

The agency also said gasoline prices were up 3.5 cents at
$3.09 in Chicago; up 1.2 cents at $3.07 in Seattle; down 1.3
cents at $2.93 in Miami; up 1.9 cents at $2.83 in Cleveland; up
1.6 cents at $2.83 in New York; up 0.9 cent at $2.77 in Boston
and up 0.6 cent at $2.71 in Denver.

Separately, the average price for diesel fuel rose half a
penny to $3.07 a gallon, up 85 cents from a year ago, the EIA
said.

The West Coast had the most expensive diesel at $3.20, up
1.6 cents. The lower Atlantic states had the cheapest diesel
fuel at $3.03, down 0.4 cent. Diesel still topped $3 in every

region of the country, according to the EIA.

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKN1922387220100419