Gasoline prices in Iowa increased by nearly five percent last week, while the cost of diesel dipped by almost two percent, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and AAA-Iowa. As of Wednesday, Sept. 21, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline averaged $3.60 across the state, a 14-cent rise from last week and 61 cents higher than a year ago. The national average on Wednesday was down two cents from last week’s price to $3.68 per gallon. Diesel prices were down nine cents in Iowa to $4.77 per gallon, $1.65 higher than this time last year. Nationwide, diesel prices averaged $4.93 per gallon as of Wednesday. Wholesale ethanol was unchanged at $2.16 per gallon, and natural gas prices plunged 97 cents to $7.84 per MMBtu at the Henry Hub reporting site.
