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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is awarding $30 million for clean diesel projects as part of its Diesel Emission Reduction Program, the agency announced.

An hours-of-service waiting time exemption for drivers of “specially constructed” oil-field operations trucks should be extended to include such other oil and gas operations trucks such as those that deliver sand and water, several motor carriers and trade association officials told federal regulators.

The average retail price of diesel rose 1.5 cents to $4.094 a gallon, the first increase in three weeks, while gasoline jumped 4.6 cents to $3.850, the Department of Energy said after its latest survey of filling stations.

The U.S. trade deficit grew by 4.1% in August, the Commerce Department said Thursday.

Oil rose after two days of decreases on optimism that European finance ministers will make progress on the region’s debt crisis, Bloomberg reported.

Trucking’s growing use of alternative fuels was the focus of separate announcements by Florida companies last week to increase fueling options and the number of compressed natural gas tractors on the road.

ATLANTA — T. Boone Pickens renewed his call to convert the nation’s 8 million heavy-duty trucks from diesel fuel to domestically produced natural gas and criticized leaders from both major political parties for not having the “guts” to pass legislation providing tax incentives to help buyers cover the higher cost of the trucks.

U.S. diesel and gasoline prices both declined for the second straight week, the Department of Energy said Oct. 1, as the fuels continued to back away from 11-week surges that drove up prices sharply.