Gas prices in Iowa crept higher over the past week while diesel slipped lower, according to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and AAA-Iowa. As of Wednesday, March 8, the price for a gallon of regular gasoline averaged $3.24, a seven-cent increase from March 1 and 58 cents lower than this time last year. The national average jumped nine cents to $3.45 per gallon. Retail diesel dipped to a statewide average of $3.94 per gallon, three cents lower than last week and 44 cents below last year’s prices. As of Wednesday, the national average for diesel stood at $4.38 per gallon. Wholesale ethanol held steady, priced at $2.16. In heating fuels, propane prices dropped two cents to $1.93 per gallon, home heating oil costs were up 9 cents per gallon to $3.51, and natural gas prices at the Henry Hub reporting site fell 13 cents to $2.58 per MMBtu.
