After weeks of falling prices, the cost of fuel in Iowa ticked up slightly heading into the Christmas holiday weekend. According to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and AAA-Iowa, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline in the state as of Wednesday, Dec. 20, averaged $2.85, three cents higher than last week and even with prices from a year ago. The national average slipped two cents to $3.10. Iowa retail diesel prices continued their downward trend, falling 12 cents on the week to $3.73 per gallon, compared to $4.35 per gallon a year ago. The national average on Wednesday stood at $4.03 per gallon. Wholesale ethanol was unchanged from $2.16. In heating fuels, propane prices were up one cent to $1.56 per gallon, home heating oil was up two cents to $3.15 per gallon, and natural gas prices at the Henry Hub reporting site jumped 17 cents to $2.51 per MMBtu.
