Iowa gas prices not falling with oil

Despite a 7.4 percent drop in oil prices over the past month, Iowa gas prices have risen about 2 percent, the Iowa Department of Energy Independence reported Thursday.

Iowans paid an average of $3.06 per gallon for mid-grade ethanol blended gas on Tuesday, up from $3 per gallon on Jan. 14.

The prices of a common oil benchmark, West Texas Cushing Sweet Crude, was $88.41 on Tuesday compared to $91.54 on Jan. 14.

Diesel fuel cost an average of $3.47 per gallon on Tuesday, up 4.2 percent from $3.33 a month earlier.

The DNR found heating fuel prices were mixed over the same one-month period. The trading price of natural gas on Monday was $3.895 per decatherm, down 31.2 percent from February 2010, and down 11.7 percent from January's price of $45.41 per decatherm.

The average price for heating oil rose 19 cents per gallon over the past month, to $3.12 per gallon. Propane prices increased by an average of 3 cents per gallon to $1.80 on Monday.