NEW YORK — The average price of diesel in the U.S. skyrocketed 20 to 30 cents a gallon this past week, depending on the area of the country, with the national average at $4.70 per gallon, according to weekly figures from the U.S. DOT’s Energy Information Administration.

That national average is 22.6 cents higher than it was just a week ago and $1.90 higher than a year ago. The average price in California topped the five-dollar mark, at a $5 average, up 29 cents from last week and $2 from a year ago.

The highest average regional price was in the Central Atlantic region, where the $4.90 average is up 23.1 cents from the previous week and $2 from a year ago. The lowest prices were in the Rocky Mountain region, at $4.70 up 21 cents from last week and up "only" $1.70 from last year.

In Canada, diesel is also rising steadily. Over the last few weeks, the Canadian average has risen from about $1.25 a liter to $1.45 this week. In the Maritimes, diesel has pushed past $1.60 a liter in some remote areas, while much of Quebec is approaching the buck 60 mark.

In Southern Ontario prices hover between $1.40 and $1.45, while in urban Alberta diesel pumps read around $1.35 a liter.

On Capitol Hill Tuesday, Maine’s two senators, Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, introduced legislation that would create a two-year pilot program to allow trucks carrying up to 100,000 pounds to travel on the federal Interstate system whenever diesel prices reach $3.50 a gallon, reported the Associated Press.

Collins said the higher weight limit would allow for more cargo in each truck while eliminating the need for drivers to move onto local roads that require more fuel and extended periods of idling. She was joined at the announcement by local trucking and shipping groups.

However, last week another pair of senators introduced a bill to lock in the current weight limit of 80,000 pounds for trucks on U.S. roads.

Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-NJ, and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-MO, also seek to maintain the maximum length of 53 feet for trailers.
The bill was introduced the day after a coalition of business and transportation groups called on Congress to allow a pilot project for longer and heavier trucks.

The group wants a maximum weight of 97,000 pounds in five states to start — Maine, Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Carolina and Georgia.