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The average price of U.S. retail diesel last week had its sharpest increase since February, rising 6.8 cents to a five-month high of $3.981 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported.

Oil fell 0.7% from a two-year high in early trading Sept. 9 as President Obama struggled to push for a military strike against Syria, Bloomberg News reported.

The adoption of natural gas as a transportation fuel continues to pick up speed. It is no surprise to me: I spent more than 30 years in the waste business and was the CEO of Republic Services, which is now the nation’s second-largest waste services provider, when the industry began to consider transitioning from diesel, a fuel we had used for decades. I understand the challenges in making the decision to switch to natural gas.

Not so long ago, the primary concern we had about fuel prices each year as the leaves in many parts of the nation began to change was that refineries would divert some of their processing capacity to home heating oil production.

Clark County, home to Las Vegas, will begin indexing state fuel taxes Jan. 1. For Clark County purchases, that could add 3 cents to 5 cents a gallon to the state’s 27.81-cent-a-gallon diesel tax in 2014 and as much as 9 cents to 15 cents by 2016.

The U.S. trade deficit increased 13.3% in July from an almost four-year low, the Commerce Department reported.

PeopleNet Communications Corp. said it now offers engine reporting for trucks powered by compressed and liquefied natural gas.

Retail diesel prices gained 1.3 cents last week to $3.913 a gallon, the Department of Energy reported, while crude oil rose to its highest level in more than two years on concerns about potential Western military action against Syria.