Iowa drivers are seeing some relief at the pump this week, as gasoline and diesel prices both moved lower across the state according to the latest weekly fuel report from AAA.
Regular unleaded gasoline in Iowa dropped 16 cents over the past week and is now averaging $4.12 per gallon. Despite the weekly decline, prices remain $1.17 higher than this time last year. The national average for regular gasoline also fell, dropping 10 cents to $4.46 per gallon.
Diesel prices in Iowa saw an even larger decrease, falling 36 cents this week to an average of $4.97 per gallon. That’s still well above last year’s Iowa average of $3.33, but currently sits 61 cents below the national diesel average of $5.58.
Crude oil prices also moved sharply lower this week. West Texas Intermediate crude fell nearly $18 per barrel to $89.87, while Brent crude dropped nearly $10 to $95.64 per barrel. One year ago, WTI crude was priced at $61.61 and Brent crude at $64.32.
Meanwhile, natural gas prices rose slightly this week, climbing 11 cents at the Henry Hub reporting site to $3.13 per million British thermal units.
AAA also reminds consumers that tips for saving energy on the road and at home are available through the U.S. Department of Energy and FuelEconomy.gov.