Today’s fuel price musings - $4 diesel is here

Add comment March 13th, 2008

While the Rockford metro average is still under $4 for diesel, I’ve heard reports that some stations are already over that threshold. If there are any truckers, farmers or others out there affected by high diesel prices, let me know by commenting here or e-mailing tbona@rrstar.com. A colleague is working on a story about your pain.

We’ll flip things around today (data courtesy of AAA’s fuelgaugereport.com):

Diesel: Rockford increased more than a cent to $3.97 a gallon, which continues to be a record. We have the fourth-highest diesel prices in Illinois. The state as whole rose almost three cents and stands at about $4.01 a gallon. Chicago ($4.10) and Danville ($4.03) continue to set the pace, with Quad Cities a fraction of a cent shy of $4. The nation as a whole rose more than three cents to $3.91. Illinois has the 10th-highest diesel prices in the country.

Gasoline: Now don’t you feel better? See, it could be worse. Rockford increased just over a cent, to $3.29 a gallon. We’re actually falling behind the rest of Illinois: the state average increased more than five cents to $3.36 a gallon and we now have the second-lowest gas prices in Illinois. Several cities had double-digit gains, including Springfield, which rocketed up 13 cents to a state-leading $3.43 a gallon. That’s a record for the state capital, but Rockford is still almost 18 cents away from our record. The nation increased to a record $3.27 a gallon, up two cents. Illinois now has the 11th-highest gas prices in the country.