State Gas Prices Fall 1.1 Cents

Gasoline prices in California fell about a penny to $2.193 a gallon in the last week, marking the sixth straight decline and the first dip below $2.20 a gallon since early May, according to a federal survey released Monday.

That’s it for the good news.

The bad news is that the statewide average cost of self-serve regular gasoline has been above $2 a gallon for 21 weeks and Monday’s average remains nearly 44 cents above year-earlier levels, according to the weekly survey by the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the Energy Department.

What’s more, the retail price cuts in California appear to be slowing: This week, the average fell just 1.1 cents a gallon compared with a decrease of 3.3 cents the previous week.

Nationwide, the price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose 2.2 cents in the last week to $1.917 on Monday -- ending a six-week streak of declines.

Monday’s nationwide average is nearly 40 cents above the year-earlier average, the EIA said.

Diesel prices in California, meanwhile, rose for the third week in a row, jumping 3.7 cents a gallon to a statewide average of $2.113, according to the survey. Prices for the fuel peaked May 10 in California at a record average of $2.356 a gallon, sparking protests from cash-strapped truckers.

Nationwide, a gallon of diesel averaged $1.74 on Monday, a 2.4-cent rise at the pump.