Gasoline Price Advance Slows at $3.54 Per Gallon

A two-month climb in the national average price of gasoline slowed to two-tenths of a cent to $3.549 for the week ending March 24, according to federal data.

The slight increase extended a now eight-week run of rising gasoline prices that still remain lower than the same time a year ago. The average price remains 13.1 cents lower than the comparable week in 2013, reports the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Gasoline rose in in seven of the 10 regions tracked with the sharpest spike a 3.6-cent rise in the Gulf Coast. New England, Central Atlantic, and Midwest saw slight declines in price. Gasoline has risen above $3.50 per gallon in 29 states, according to the AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report.

Meanwhile, the national average price of diesel fuel fell 1.5 cents. Diesel costs 1.8 cents less than it did a year ago.