������ý

U.S. economic activity continued to expand from mid-May through June, with lower energy prices helping to boost consumer spending but remaining a drag on manufacturing, the Federal Reserve said July 15.

Diesel’s national average price declined for the seventh consecutive week, slipping 1.8 cents to $2.814 per gallon, the Department of Energy reported July 13. That makes diesel $1.08 cheaper than a year ago, DOE said after its weekly survey of filling stations. But gasoline climbed 4.1 cents to $2.834.

Federal regulators on July 13 formally published their proposal in the Federal Register that would tighten greenhouse-gas emissions for trucks, improve their fuel economy and regulate trailer efficiency for the first time.

Suppliers of fuel-saving technologies for trucks and trailers said they expect their products will increasingly be installed at the factory level under the federal government’s proposed Phase 2 greenhouse-gas standards.

Port truck drivers from Eco Flow Transportation voted to join the Teamsters, which has backed efforts to convert driver status from independent contractor to employee.

Oil prices may fall further as the world remains “massively oversupplied,” before markets tighten in 2016 when output growth outside OPEC grinds to a halt, according to the International Energy Agency.

Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) introduced legislation that would raise federal fuel taxes by 10.1 cents per gallon, and index the new rate to inflation as a way to ensure the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.

The Department of Energy lowered its 2015 forecast for U.S. diesel prices 2 cents to $2.86 a gallon but held its 2016 projection at $3.03.

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency and the Obama administration as a whole will continue to emphasize their campaign against climate change from carbon emissions, even if all aspects of useful technologies are not known at present.