US retail diesel prices fell over the past week, but GasBuddy warned that refinery uncertainty and geopolitical risks could undermine the improvement, Rigzone reported. GasBuddy’s Monday update put the national diesel average at $6.248 per gallon, down 5.9 cents, while gasoline slipped 0.4 cents to $4.29 per gallon.
The modest gasoline decline left the national average 0.4 cents above its month-earlier level and $1.28 higher than a year previously. Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis, said more states recorded gasoline price falls than increases. However, he cautioned that the passage of Hurricane Isaias had left the market awaiting updates on two refineries in its path, with potential implications for near-term supplies.
Diesel prices remained markedly uneven across the country. GasBuddy put the median at $6.09 per gallon, six cents below the previous week. Texas had the lowest state average at $5.61, followed by Georgia at $5.73 and South Carolina at $5.74. California was the most expensive at $8.35, ahead of Washington at $7.24 and Hawaii at $7.21, according to the figures carried by Rigzone.
De Haan also questioned whether the Trump administration’s proposed Russian diesel arrangement would materially reduce costs for truckers and other consumers. In an October 9 statement cited by Rigzone, President Donald Trump said Russia would supply more than 300,000 tons immediately to US and global markets, followed by 500,000 tons in November and 1 million tons thereafter. He also outlined a further 3 million tons, conditional on the state of Russian diesel refineries. President Vladimir Putin separately confirmed Russia’s willingness to supply oil and petroleum products, without specifying volumes in the statement quoted.
The supply concerns have also prompted calls for faster emergency stock releases. Rigzone reported that International Energy Agency executive director Fatih Birol had urged members to accelerate outstanding commitments under the March 2026 collective action, giving priority to diesel, and assess whether additional diesel releases were needed. That programme made 400 million barrels of emergency oil reserves available. Separately, an October 2 G7 statement set out a coordinated 100 million-barrel release over four months under existing commitments, including substantial diesel volumes early in the programme, alongside efforts to coordinate refinery maintenance and raise utilisation where feasible.