Diesel Takes First Dip in Seven Weeks; Oil Continues Downward

Diesel prices fell for the first time in seven weeks, dropping 3.3 cents to a national average of $3.094 a gallon

, according to weekly figures released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This is the largest dip since the beginning of February.

Prior to the decline, diesel had gained 18.8 cents over six weeks, reaching its highest level since about November 2008 last week, at $3.127.

This week's average was 86.3 cents higher than the same week last year.

The Central Atlantic and West Coast experienced the highest prices of the week, reaching $3.232 and $3.204 a gallon, respectively. Meanwhile, it got as low as $3.042 and $ 3.054 a gallon in the Gulf Coast and Lower Atlantic regions.

Oil dropped even lower Monday, after reaching a three-month low Friday on market volatility. Oil was down $1.45 to $70.16 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange Monday, as Europe's debt crisis continued to rattle investors, according to reports by the Associated Press. During the day, oil slipped below $70 for the first time in three months, the AP said.